Cantonese apothegms

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CHARLES WILLIAM WASON
COLLECTION

CHINA AND THE CHINESE

THE GIFT OF

CHARLES WILLIAM WASON

CLASS OF 1B76

1918

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Cornell University Library
PL 1735.884

Cantonese apothegms /

3 1924 023 344 363

The original of tliis book is in
tine Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023344363

g^IITOpSE :aP0Tp(5I]QS, 'i

(Slassified, translated, & commented upon -j

LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

t

ij3.Zl -pigKts reserved.)

CA NTON:

Frtrtted. hy. E-SfLing.

-K

PL 17 35"

Vl^iT^S"

igpf ijf §

Fr^eJ

^ace..

(SAo^ijters. —

I

Customs

II

Education

III

Ethics

IV

Examinations .

V

Feasts ...

VI

Festivals ... ,

VII

Foods

VIII

Foreigners

IX

Friendship . . .

X

Funerals ... .

XI

Gambling

XII

Geomanct

XIII

Idols & Spirits

XIV

Lawsuits ... .

XV

Marriage

XVI

Medicine

XVII

Military

XVII]

Omens

XIX

Proverbs

. 1.

32.

. 40.

44.

. 53.

56.

. 65.

72.

. 78.

84.

. 88.

94.

. 98.

106.

.111.

114.

..121.

124.

..127.

II Contents.

XX Slavery 130.

XXI Superstitious Beliefs 132.

XXII Terminology 141.

XXIII Weather (Elements) 148.

XXIV Worship 151.

PREFACE.

The writer issues this little book with its
limitations to the general public not without the
hope that it may prove interesting to the general
reader and helpful to the student of Cantonese.

With respect to the material which the writer
has classified, translated, and commented upon
where necessary, quite the greater part was cour-
teously supplied by two friends : — Mr. Chan of
Fatshan and Deputy Li Tat Shuk of Canton.

Obligations to Drs. Legge and Eitel, and
also to Rev. J. Macgowan for dates and a few
techiacal terms are gratefully acknowledged.

The Romanization and translation of each
Chinese character which precede the proper ren-
derings of the phrases in Enghsh cannot be taken
as aflbrding any real guide to the pronunciation
of Chinese since every character has its own tone
which can only be learned from a teacher. The
system of Romanization followed is that adopted
by Dr. EiTKL in his " Cantonese Dictionary."

This extra work of translating word for word
was undertaken upon the advice of a friend who
suggested that it would lend additional interest as
giving some insight into the construction of the
language.
Canton, December joth, igo2.

xl. J. S.

CANTONESE APOTHEGMS

CU S TOMS.

»o>»=:c.

^ M ^' ^ M ?L ft : Wai wong pit id
tsun Hung Kau.
BecoiTie Emperor certainly must follow
Hung ** (Mandarin dialect, K'ling) religion.

" To be Emperor (of China) it is abso-
Intely necessary to be a Confucianist."

The (significance of this article of every
scholar's faith lies not so much in the fact, that
the Chinese Emperors and feudal princes have
followed the doctrines of (Confucius for a

* The name Confucius is derived from ^^ -^ -^
(K'ung Foo Tsz) which translated means, K'ung Master,
». e. the surname followed by a title equivalent to the He-
brew •' Rabbi."

2 Cantonese Apothegms.

period of more than *two thousand years, as in
the more striking truth that such has been
the hold of the great Sage upon the hearts
and minds of the literati, the ruling class,
that conquering invaders have found it
essential, in order to enjoj' the fruits of con-
quest, to adopt Confucianism. Hence, though
tlie famous Mongol conqueror, Kublai, a Bud-
dliist, who inaugurated the jt (L'n) dynasty
(A. 1). 1280-136<S) and constructed the Grand
Canal, did not enjoin Confucianism upon his
own I'oyal Ijousehold and Mcmgol,snbjects,.yet
this was (ine of the, tirsr things, that occupied
the attention of his sufC('f,sor. In the ssime way
the earlv Emperors oi' this present Mancliu
dynasty wisjjly retained and adopted the cult
and teachings of Coufuc.us.

The {)hrajse, the; efore, that we have
cited, is neither an etnpty bcjast, nor a foolish
superstition, but a generalization drawn from
the nation's history, and at the same time-it is

* ('(iiifiiciiis \Vi s liivt wm^hp; cd duritig llic -pj (I'suii)
d)-li:!st;y (li. L'J.ViO;)).

Customs ;■>,

a glowing tribute to the wonderful absorbing

power of the Chinese race.

tr ^ M : ^I'a ti hi : — Beat earth air,

" To breathe the atmosphere which arises
from the ground."

This refers to the practice of the people
of sleeping on the street adjoining the Shing-
Wong-Miii temple in Canton city on the eve
of the 24th day cf the 7th moon (it generally
falls in August). In the first instance men and
wrmen thus slept on available spaces in the
vicinity of the, temple with a view to being first
at the shrine in, the morning, as the idol was
snpposed to acknowledge the first incense burn-
ed before it with abundant favours.

Now, however, it is believed, that there is
virtue in the very act of sleeping in the open
near the temple, and that by so doing the tor*
merits of Hades may be avoided.

i Cantonese Apothegms.

5J5 ft >t^N ^ :& : Loi won J? pit hang yau.
Come go must walk right.

'• In going out and coming in you must keep
to the right."

Inside the outer door of every Chinese house
there are two entrances formed by the spaces
left by a screen, or large folding doors, placed
across the centre of the courtyard.

# 9 ^ |l^ : Chak yat wan shan.

Choose day thank idol.

" Choose a (lucky) day to present thank of-
ferings to the idols."

It would be considered " a flying in the face
of providence " to worship, marry, build or bury
save on the lucky days marked in tne Almanac,
or on those specially divined by the astrologers,
and geomancers.

^ # A H ^^ 5f # A ; MAi fdn-yan
ts'eung p'au tan fan-yan.
Buy barbarian rifles cannon shoot barbarian.
" The barbarian's rifles and cannons are
bought to shoot barbarians."

Customs. !

It was iterated and reiterated as a sage remark
during the troubles of 1900, that the European
nations, in permitting as they had done, the whole-
sale importation of arras into China, had been
preparing a rod for their own backs. That the
Chinese also hold this view is abundantly clear
from the above statement.

~.^^1M- Sdm ts'ung sz tak.

Three followings four virtues.
" The three subordinations and the four
virtues."

These are the jewels in a woman's crown.
In her own home a woman subordinates herself
to her father, in the home of her adoption to her
husband, and in her home after her husband's
death to her sons. The four virtues are as
follows : Goodness, Purity, Usefulness, and
Alodesty.

Here we have the position of women in China
w^ell defined. Experience teaches, however, that
theory and practice do not coincide, and that,
though there is very little in the theory to which
one can take exception, the practice leaves much
to be desired'.

6 Cantonese Apothegms,

I have no doubt that it was failure to attain
to the prescribed ideal ; or, as the Celestial would
say, want of conformity to this rule of propriety,
which original ly led to the separation of the sexes.

^^ ^^IW M- Sz-kii chAt fd keuk.
Nun binds skirt foot.

" Nuns bind their divided skirts round their
ankles."

They are thus easily distinguished from or-
dinary women, who allow their skirts to hang
loose.

^ M: Wi'^ \ j^ )^' Chuk ki-wai id yan
tso tai.

Construct embankment need man make
bottom.

" In building a river bank, (or, making new
ground like the foreign concession, Canton) a
(living) person must constitute the foundation."
That is to say, no other foundation would
hold. Till this dsij the Chinese believe that
a woman was buried beneath the Shameen by
those who undertook its coiistruction.

Customs. *

*0 IS -^ ^ : 'U ka pau un

If false guarantee cliaiige.
" If (the goods) are false, we guarantee to
change them."

A sig.'i-bjanl with theso words engraved there-
on is hung up outside certain shops such, e.g.
as tliuse which sell jade and silver.

U^ W\ ^%%Z-^K- Pi '^li'ii" kaa sik

pat kau nil-
Secrets transmit teach daughter-in-law
i!()t teach daughter.

" Secret (heirlddms of special knowledge,
handicraft, or witchcraft) should be transmitted
and tiu'4'ht t ) one's d lughtdr-in-iaw, bat not to
one s daughier."

How far this custom is adhered to, it is
diffiicLilt to ascertain : but the reason is evident,
Whatev..n' i<nowledge the daughter may obtain
will go out of the family when the marries.
There is no provision made here for unmarried
daughters, and ubseiv.ition, apart from special
investigation, would lead one to snppose, that
there are indeed very few girls in (Jhina who
choose, or are alluwed to choose, to remain spiu^
ters.

8 Cantonese Apothegms.

M.^ ^ ^' ^^^ tsang ki t'in.

Reduce give-away several days.
" Great reductions for a few days onlj'."
Tlioiigh, perhaps, not so common as in
Western cDnn tries, yet the Chinese shop-
keepers hold their clearance sales.

M'SiU^M^UWr- To yau u tau fu
iu wong kai.
Spill oil with bean curd must flourish
street.

" Tf'oil or bean-curd be spilled the street
must be made to flourish."

Crackers are fired to bring back good luck.

^ tK ^ S^ ^h A fl^ ; Tsing shiii pat ha
nyui yan is'u.
Well water not allow outside men take.
"You maj' not permit others to draw water
from your well."

Unwritten laws are often more binding
than thosd to wuic'.i penalties are attached, and
the one translated above is vei y seldom in-
fringed.

Customs. 9

»

f] ^ 11 : Ta om ch'un.

Fight Quails.
" Quail fighting."
This is one of the favourite and oruol pas-
timos ol tho Chinese : but it is not nciirly so
r;ishionul)le as cricket fighting, since crickots
will fighl to tho death.

^ ^ ^ '• Shang ts'oi iti.

Fresh ve,i;-i 'tables Guild.
"The Fresh Vegi'tablos (<4uild) Artsoeia-
tion."

Once a year married eouples, lo wJioni
liOMven has not granted off-spring, go by boat
to a temple not far from Canton, and there
woi'ship an idol and bring back with tliein, a
vegetable, aiid from this the association derives
itS' name.

^^mZ-M^^^- King tsz chi pat
king tsz tso.

Reverence character paper not rever-
ence character ancestor.

" Men reverence paper with cliaraefers
(written or printed) tlier(H)ii, but do not revero
the inventor of characters."

10 Cantonese Apothegms.

As if generally known, all paper on which
has hpfu inscribed the sacred characters
(hienit^lyphs) is carefully placed on one side
and burnt. It wo:ild bi the lieig'at of derog;^-
tion and irreverence to use such paper fi^r any
purpose but that for which it was originally in-
tended. Hence not only are there receptacles
here and there at street corners in towns and
cities, where printed or written matter is burn-
ed : but the writer has many times seen men,
sent by the Sacred Edict, or Benevolent Halls'
fraternity with long basinets, collecting from th",
s'.iops in the city that which has been put by
for them.

The phra'ie quot'-;] abi>ve, howijver, shows
the folly of paying such respect to the character,
while the inventor of writing is entirely forgot-
ten and overlooked. The Ciii.iese are fully
aware, that in this case they have departed
from the general usage, e. g. they do not worship
the implements, but the father of agriculture.

C'rsTuiii*. IL

^ it : Chi clii.

Best stop.
" Many tlie best stop here."
The above two characters, written or print-
ed on a slip of paper, are pasted over the door
way, or on the walls of a house ou the hiRt dav
of the old year.

^ -^ : Chap kwat.

Pick up bones.

" Disinter bones "

This * practice is strictly illegal ; but in
connection with fung shui (geomancy) it is
freelv indula-ed in malgre the threats of the
hiw.

^^%%-k.^'- 'U mo se tai tsz.

Rain hat write large character.
" Rain-hats have large characters written
on them."

That is, the name of the wearer or his
shop or firm.
^ \. ^ il» • I'eng yan hi kwa.

Sick man raises diagram.
" A sick person takes up the diagrams, i. e.
divines."

• Wie ch.>»pt9r on Geomwicy.

12 Cantonese Apothegms.

The meaning of the phrase is, that the
relatives inquire of the astrologers and ma-
gicians, whether the patient will live or die,
and that these men consult the diagrams in or-
der to find an answer.
im A ^ ^P : Fu-yan kwo keuk.

Wdmen bandage feet.

" ^Yomen bind their feet."
The tortures inflicted by this cruel custom,
the tears it has wrung from the sufferers, and
the piercing cries that have gone up from the
victims for deliverance, may best be judged from
the fact, that the measurement of several pairs of
shoes discarded by Chinese ladies, "'ho, in con-
sequence of becoming Christians, have unbound
their feet and presented their shoes to the foreign
lady, who had taught them, proved SJ inches to
be the greatest length fi'om toe to heel. As the
heels, however, slope inwards, the so/es were
from one half to a whole inch shorter still. I
am assured that miny are much smaller.

One of the incentives to the sufferer to sub-
mit to the practice is that with natural feet her
chance of marrying . into a good family would
be infinitesimal, if not nil, for small feet are a

Customs. lo

^!i:n of ffoiitilitv. The ;ioe of five is the usual
time, wlion the teet are tirsr bound with the
I'aiidug-e tive Chinese feet kinsr (/. t'. about two
English yards) : but there is no deiinite rule in
tlie niatrer.

>.iine mothers and foster-mothers even
go the ornel leng-th of phicing the child's feet
ill band)00 splinrs.

The custom is said to have orioinated
during the ^ (Tong) dynasty (A. D. 600-900).
One of the royal concubines, who was gifted
with a lovely face, had ugly, ill-formed feet, and
finding that this detracted fi-om her beauty, she
bandaged them until they appeared small and
shapely. *
^ r^ ^ : Kam lang keuk.

Prohibit cold feet.

'• Prohibit sti-angers."

Strangers are not permitted to enter a

house where a child has been born, till after

the customary period, which, in the case of a

boy, is nine days, and, in that of a girl, twelve.

, It is afnrmed that the pnict oe 'nec;ime genenjl d.;rii:g
the ^ (S - 5'' .'onts^y l-V. U. '.'.■0-1 -JT-).

14 Cantonkse Apothegms.

^ B ^ M = Chak yat sai t'au.
Choose day wash head.
'' Choose a (luckv) day for washing the head."

The days on which it will be auspicious
to perform this act of cleanliness are marked
in the calendar. The underlying idea is, that .
if a day be chosen, then the eyes will be bright
and clear, and skin diseases, which affect the
head, will not be easily contracted.

±-m ^ H m '^ mUl^l Sheung
lean^-ka man t'au iu kwa hung po.

Raise tie-beam door head must hang red
cloth.

" In fixing tie-beams and door frames, pieces
of red cloth must be hung on them."
This may be seen wherever Chinese houses
or shops are being erected in this part of
the country. The red cloth is sometimes
omitted in the case of the door head, but in the'
case of the tie-beam, never ! Its use lis that it
effectually cuts off and counter-acts the evil in-
fluences which are stirred up from the ground
in digging the foundations, and iu making
plaster.

CrSTOMS. lo

^ ifi$ i : Tim shall chil.
Dot spiritual lord.
" Dot the ancestral tablet."
After the body of a deceased parent has
been duly and ceremoniously interred the mourn-
ers return to the house, and set up beside the
idol shrine in the home, a paper tablet, termed
v^^ (Ling p ai), which to the family repre-
sents the family, and now spiritual, lord.

This tablet is allowed to remain, either for
seven times seven, or one hundred, days. After
the time chosen has elapsed, it is burned, and for
it is substituted one made of hard-wood called

^l^±^ (Shan chup'di.)

On the new tablet the character for lord, "+ ,
is left thus, ^, without the superadded dot, as
it is considered lucky to call in a necromancer,
or a graduate, who has been fortunate in health,
marriage, and, perhaps, in securing office, to insert
it. The dot is looked upon as a new gi'aft,
which is expected to make the family tree
flourish.

When after several generations the tahiet.s
begin to accumulate, it is customary to order a
large one, on which are engraved the aurnaniLs

H^ CaXTDXKSK Al'OTllKfiMS.

and names reeorded Oil the sniidl oin's, whii.'li ar;.'
then discarded. The smaller tablets stand four--
teen inches high, and are about three in breadth.
The surviving members of the faraih'^ wor-
ship these tablets on the first and fifteenth of every
month, on festivals, aad on the anuiversaries of
their ancestor's birth and death.

•^ j^ M -^ • T^ip sung cliik-sz.

" Welcome escort committee-man."

Every principal street in a city has its own
committee, elected annually from among the
shop-keepers or householders, and almost every
street possesses its temple, or ancestral hall, in
which meetings of the committee are held.

The business, which these committees dis-
cuss and arrange, includes the engaging of watch-
men and police, and the collecting of monies for
idol processions, street repairs, and other things
of a like public nature. It is within the power
of a street committee to order so many strokes
with a split bamb:);> as a punishnient for petty
larceny.

The ceremonies of welcoming a new, and
escorting home an old, street councillor are car-
ried out with a fanfiire of trumpets, beating of
gongs, and firing of crackers.

CrsTiiMs. 17

-^ m 'Mm^: L6 fii kan nun lu.

Old womuii follows }(iui]g' woman.

" 'IMic elder woman follows the younger."
This rule, (observed in walking through the
Ktrccts oi ;i city, or along the country roads, seems
to be !i flat contradiction of the uniform require-
ment of respect from juniors to seniors, but it
was a<loi)ted for the sake of protection, to prevent
kidnapi)in^— iin evil,, in face of which, the au-
thorities a])pe;ir to be po^verless.

^Wi^m'- ^^^ *^^i ™"- ^ °^ wear hat.

"(io bare-headed."

The Chinese, apart from officials, and those
■who are much exposed to the sun, as farmers,
boat-men, and the coolie class, only cover their
heads in winter.

all yC i^ 4h Mli .^ •• ^ung ^« tsoi fan ti kai.
Escort fire calamities divide earth boundaries,
" In escorting fire calamities there is a
division of districts."

On the first day of a 7'd Tsui fi. e. the fes-
tival when the streets are adtirned with chande-
liers, theatres, and images) each householder,
or shop-keeper, ii,i\'es a piece of lucky yiaper, ;uid

18 CaNToXESK Al'OTHKG.MS.

a candle, to be thrown into the river, hoping there-
by to escape the danger of a fire breaking out.

Each temple rules one or more streets.
^ W \^ W^ Wf • Chung kwok hau ki lio pi.
Middle Kinwlom mouth machine loves
secrecy. *
" A Chinaman loves to keep his own counsel."
So far as business and state secrets are con-
cerned, one readily assents to the statement. As
an example of the (Tovernment's love of secrecy,
and the ability of those who compose it, to keep
their own secrets, the Boxer rebellion of 1900
may be instanced. It is now known, that it
Avas no volcanic eruption over which the
Empress had absolutely no control, but a
deep laid scheme, which had been planned, and
circulated in secret, for two years.

But strange to relate, these same people, who
love secrecy in speech, hate any suggestion
of it in action. Foreign schools, hospitals,
churches, and dwelling houses must have open

* It is doubtful whetliei- any country ever equalled China
in the matter of fecret ^ocictifs, for this Middle Kingdom
swarms with them.

ClSToMS. ly

doors, open windows, and open .rooms, or vil-
L'uijr in some form or other is suspected.

The Westerner's very proper regard for
privacy^ of which they are ahnost totally devoid,
is construed to mean a love of secrecy, which,
judging from themselves, they consider never
portends good.

^ ^ : Mai ts'ip. Buy concubine.

" Purchase a concubine."
The length of a Chinaman's purse is the
only limit to the number of women lie may add
to his family, and consequently, it is a rare
thing to meet a man in good circumstances,
who has not at least two wives. Many keep quite
a harem. The reader, however, must not think,
that the practice of concubinage is wholly and
entirely due to a sensuous desire for a plurality
of wives; ancestral worship requires a direct and
unbroken succession of sons, and frequently,'
though not generally, concubines are pur-
chased with this end in view. The price paid
varies between one hundred and a thousand
dollars, but it may occasionally be less or more
than the sums mentioned. It depends upon the

20 Caxitixksk Apothegms.

personal attractions and acconiplislunents i>f
the lady.

No matter how man}' women there may
be iu a household, the real wife always
holds her place, and is alone honoured with the
title " wife."

# ii^MWt^^- Pi sam-ki ch au a-miii.

Give attention look-after baby.
'• Mind and take great care of the baby ! "

This injunction, evidently once a command
from parents to nurses; has become so general
that women who have children, r-epeat it, as
they separate after a friendly visit, as part of
a leave-taking formula.

There is no question, that the Chinese love
little children, and spoil them as often as par-
ents do in other countries. Indeed, it is not
one of the least pleasing features in Chinese
liie, that fathers may be seen to nurse and a-
inuse their children for a long time together. On
the other hand, that infanticide is commonlv
practised in very poor districts, cannot be denied.
One does not need to travel far from Canton to
find places, where girls are often drowned the

Customs. 2ll

ftiuaient thev are born. Still,, the primary cause
of this evil, is not callous imdifference to pa-
rental feelings, but poverty of a kind we can
iiardly appreciate, "^eeds nnvBt when the
devil drives'" is the Chiriamain's excuse, and due
allowance must be made for concomitant evils
which suggest such an inhu?man necessity.

)& B 'M- Yaii pak-waii. Ramble White-
cloud. " Ascend the White-cloud Mountain."
Far up this mountain there i« a celebrated
.temple in which is enshrined an idol called
gfifjll (Ching Sin). The idol represents the
spirit of an aneient worthy, who, after eating a
nine-jointed..grass known »s^ ;/t^ ^ ^ ,j^fl (Kau
Tsit Ch'eung P'6), was transformed into a fairj'..
The fairy's birthday faUs on the 24th of the
,7th moon, and crowds of men from Canton, and
some from neighbouring villages, climb the
lieiffhts which overshadow Canton city from
the Isorth, in order ito shake the divining sticks
before the fainy to discover their prospect-s for
the end of the year and the future. At. least
.one night is spent with the priests in the codi
tatmosphere beside a limpid .streani, and now Jthe

22 Cantonj-.sk Apothegms.

Avorship of Ching fairy, involving, as it does, a
pleasant trip, is generally denoted by the phrase,
" ramble over the White-cloud mountain."
j)c ^ : K'au ii, Entreat rain, " Pray for rain."
In seasons of drought, as at present, the
^ •;$ (Nam Hoi), and # ^ (P'lin L) magis-
trates, whose districts meet in Canton, and
Avhose yameiis are situated within the city
walls, ride, attended by their retinue, to the
^ fi^ ^ (Shing Wong Miii : city moat tem-
]>le) to pray for rain. If their prayers re-
main unanswered, they proceed to the sf I ^
(Lung Wong Miii : Dragon Emperor temple)
situated at. the foot of the |^ "g- |JL( (Goddess of
Mercy Hill). Should the rieavens still appear
as brass, then these magistrates present them-
selves at the M rE ^ (Dragon Emperor temple),
which is in the (|3 '^" ^Jj) White cloud mountain.
Failing this, the ancient custom of ^ ^ ^
(Discontinue slaughter) pronounced, Tiin ts'^,
is enforced by official proclamation. No pigs
are allowed to be slaughtered until heaven has
granted the refreshing showers. At the time of
writing, all these methods have failed, and famine
stares us in the face.

(AsTO.MiS. 2'6

tT ^ ', Tti tan, Strike bill ; " Lew l)l:tekinail."
Tliis part of China is far-famed for its pirates
and robbers, and though we know from observa-
tion, that on the main rivers there are sruard-
boats stationed at intervals of three miles
and though we have six (three English and
three French) river gun-boats, which assist the
Chinese government in pi'otecting trade, yet^
there is no reason to disbelieve the statement,
that practically every native cargo-boat brino-ing
down fire- wood, brown sugar etc, pa\'s a regular
tax to robber bands. Moreover, during the
later months of the year, threatening letters are
forwarded by robber chieis to firms in the city, to
wealthy gentlemen, and, during the last few
years, even to foreign business houses on the
Shameen, stipulating, that if a certain sum be not
paid over on a date fixed, and at a given place,
the offender's premises will be robbed.

^m^^i^m d^\%pL m m •■ siui k'l-

kori k'ap kwo t'an pit iu long clii ts'iii.
Erect flag-staffs and pass rapids certainly must
let-go paper inoney.
" When erectuig flag-staffs, or crossing rapids,

24 (Ja.vi'jN'ksk Apothegms.

one must certainly throw out some paper money."
In China, candidates, who have been suc-
cessful at the various examinations, basid^e
being allowed to ■wear distinctive gowns, have
the further privilege of erecting, outside
the ancestral hall of their village, two flag-
staffs from which th^y fly flags bearing the
name of the degree obtained. But the lowest
degree necessary for this- additional honour is,
^ 4 (Kung Shanig.) It is given to an unsuc-
cessful 13, A. afte-r he has attempted the M. A.
examinations- in vain for forty years, or
longer, without missing a single examination.
The flower work and cross-pieces at the top of
the- poles also deiiobe rank, r-o that the flag
onxie hoisted is never hauled down again. In
due tim3, it i& rotted by the rain, and blown into
sbreds by the wind.
^^•. Keang' cheuk. " Ginger feast."

When a child -is exactly one month, old,
relatives and friends are invited by the parents
to a feast, a special feature of which is that strips
of pickled ginger are always provided. The
medicinal proparties of ging^.r are suppi=*?d to

Customs. 25

benefit the mother, and because ginger is con-
sidered the chief dish on that special occasion a
friend in congratulating another on the birth of
a child, nearly always adds, " You will shortly
be inviting me to eat ginger."

S\X W ^ ^ ^- Shau sun kiu tsz-ho.
Receive letter call name-number.
" The receiver of a letter asks (the courier)
the address of the sender."

Until the establishment of the " Chinese
Imperial Post " within the last five years,
the Chinese forwarded correspondence, as
best they might, by couriers, by passage
boats, or by friends, and as the carrying-
fee was always paid by the receiver, the
amount being written on the envelope by
the sender, there was always the opportun-
ity of delivering bogus letters in order to
make a little money. This sharp practice
has generally been freely indulged in only
during the last week or two of each -passing
year, when families and shop-keepers have been
exceptionally busy with their annual cleaning,
or in the settlement of the year's accounts. To
the credit of this people be it noted, that

26 Cantonese Apothegms.

they consider it a point of lionoiir to pay up all
debts ere New Year's Day dawns.

^ M 9'- P^i "^^1^ shau. Congratulate
ten-thousand birthday.

"Offer Congratulations to the Emperor on
a royal birthday, (or on a festival.)"

There are eight occasions during the Chinese
Year, wlien, at the capital, officials of all ranks,
arrayed '\n court robes specially kept for- such
functions, present themselves before the august
persons in the palace. When, with eyes fixed
on the ground, they have assembled within the
sacred precincts before the dragon throne, the
^ nP 1p^ # : (Li P^ Sheung Shu, Chief Min-
ister of the Civil Board) leads the company in
the observance of this ceremony, which is per-
formed at the same time in every provincial
city in temples erected for the purpose. In
each provincial ^ ^ ^ (Mdn Shau Kung,
Longevity palace), at the back of a raised plat-
form, is suspended a wooden scroll on which
are inscribed the words, ^ "^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
(Wong-tai mdn siii, man man sdi ; Emperor
ten thousand years ten thousand ten thousand

CusTOjrs. 27

years,) and it is in the open court- yard below
the steps facing this tablet, that the government
servants, from the viceroy down to the deputy,
offer their congratulations in the following man-
ner : — A master of ceremonies standing on the
steps before the assembly just before dawn,
calls aloud, ^ ( Kwai ), " Kneel I " and the
whole company go gracefully down on their
knees. They are no sooner in that position
than the order is given PP ^ (K'au Shau)
" Knock head ! " That command having been com-
plied with three times, the master of ceremonies'
voice is again heard bidding them ^ (Shing)
"Arise ! " The officials, having knelt thrice, and
having each time thrice prostrated themselves,
arise, and disperse to their yamens.
The writer has twice witnessed this weird, but gor-
geous spectacle in Canton, and the scene will re-
main as one of the most memorable sights of a life
time. The occasions on which one may see the
ceremony are as follows :
a. — Chinese New Year's morning.
h. — The Empress's Birth-day, the 9th of the 1st
moon.

28 Cantonese Apothegms.

c. — The Beginning of Spring Festival (the date

varies) .
d. — The Dragon-boat Festival, the 5th of the 5th

moon.
^._The Emperor's Birthday, the 28th of the 6th

moon. He is congratulated, however, on

the 26th. *
/.—The Mid- Autumn Festival, the l5th of the

8th moon.
g. — The Empress Dowager's Birthday, the 10th

of the 10th moon.
h. — The Winter Festival (the date varies).
iQ)^: Ying ch'un. " Welcome Spring."

The official ceremony, known by this name,
takes place the day previous to the festival termed
ail^ (Lap ch'un, Establish Spring) which falls
in January or February. The significance of this
unique custom is that it constitutes the royal
proclamation, that spring has returned, and that
agriculture is a very honourable occupation.

* On the Emperor's birthday the ofnoials are not allowed
to wear their court robes, and, hence, as they cannot appear in
other garments at the function, it is held two days previously.

OusroMs, 29

piiri'ng tlio uioniiiiu' of'tlie day meptioned-,
11] pvery town and city, -where tLere is a
deputy or magistral o, the official (the Prefect
ill a provincial or prefectnral city), in behalf
of the Emperor, dressed in court robes, and
escorted by his retinue, proceeds in a tall,
open chair, with the greatest possible pomp
and display, to the East Gate of the city, outside
which he meets a paper boy called, ( JJlC ^,
T'ai Sui), and a paper buttalo. Having saluted
them, he, with a live buffalo standing ready
yoked in a ~tiold near b}', ploughs a furrow,
aiyd throws in a handful of corn, and then
returns to his yamOii, and the images are
carried back, and left in the courtyard. The
next day the official comes out, and beats the
images with a whip. This further ceremony is
termed : fi| ^ : (Pin ch'un, whip Spring) and it
means, that the people are to commence plough-
ing forthwith. The images have no sooner
been beaten than the eager spectators at the gjitt^
rush in, and scramble for a piece of the paper,
or one of the small buffaloes with which the
large one is filled, for to obtain either is con-
sidered luckv.

30 Cantonese Apothegms.

ij"]! >M^ jS • Ktin-ts'oi chong. Coffin repository.
" The house of the dead."
Many foreign residents know this elo-
quently silent spot in Canton b}'^ the designation •
" The city of the dead." In the extensive
grounds situated outside the North Gate
there are over one hundred rooms, or cells, each
of which contains one or two coffins placed
there by friends of the deceased to await
transport to another province, or burial in a local
cemetery, which will be chosen for the sake of
its good geomantic influences which are believed
to directly affect the fortunes of the departed
one's descendants. Each depofeitor pays a
deposit fee of irom ten to twenty five dollars,
and a monthly rent for the room as long as the
body may remain there. All large cities have
their mortuaries, and in the country the traveller
occasionally sees an improvised mortuary in the
torm of a mat-shed.

^ ^ 1^ : Kong shing ii, Speak Sacred Edict.
" Preach the Sacred Edict,"
The Sacred Edict consists of sixteeJi posi-
tive commands expressed in short sentonces
of acv( n words each. It wr,s issued by the

Customs. 31

£mperor J^ ^ (Hong Hi,) who reigned A. D.
(1662-1723), as the standard by which the peo-
ple of the empire ought to regulate their lives.
Now, with a view to imitation as well as
opposition, the native Benevolent Societies have
opened halls in Canton, Fatshan, and other
large cities, similar to those used by mission-
aries for preaching Christianity to the heathen,
in order that the rules of life contained in the
8acred Edict may be continually republished
and expounded by means of oral instruction.
There are between ten and twenty of these
Sacred Edict Halls in Canton city alone. Often
within a few doors of each other the represen-
tatives of the new and the old teaching may be
seen holding the attention of crowded audiences
by their fluent utterance, and a liberal use of an
unrestricted range of striking illustrations.
Women sometimes venture to step inside the
door way and listen for a moment, but they never
sii down.

32

II.

EDUCATION

^ KWk'^M ^U- I'a-yan sliik tsz tiit

fu clii.
Wife knows characters robs husband will.

" An educated wife robs her husband of his
■will-power."

The belief, expressed in this i)hrase, accounts
in a very lai'g3 ra3asure fjr the almost universal
practice among the Ciinese of ignoring female
education.

fifl ^ tl^ ^ ^6) : Hoi hok p'a kin kau.

C)[)eu study fear see dog.
" A pupil, when he first goes to school, is
afraid of seeing a dog "

The djg is est3em3d the la'.iest of animals,
and hence the scholar's e\'es are bandaged, and
lie is led to school blindfolded lest he should see
one of the canine species, and, as a result, throw
away his chances of one d.iy wearing the much-
co\"eted ofKcial button.

Education. 3S

MM^fph- Man piin kai ha pan.

Ten-thousand kinds all low degree.

" All occupations are of low degree."

This hyperbolic statement is used to
emphasize the superlative value, and infinite
superiority of book-learning. " Knowledge is
power" in China, and has commanded respect from
the times of lu, and Shun * down to the present.
The Literati are the governing class, but they are
proud and arrogant to a degree, which cannot be
appreciated by the Westerner until he has had
intercourse with them, and discovered how that
the knowledge of a few characters, and a little
history of their own country cause them to look
down upon the lower orders with contempt. At
the head of the four classes : j^, ^, JQ, '^
(literati, farmers, artisans, merchants) the schol-
ars of the Empire sway the ignorant populace at
will.

m ^ WW. ^ 5^ •I'i Jl : Hoi hok pok
ch'ang ts'ung hung mo ting.

Open study learning slice-rice-meal onion red
hat button.

" When a boy first goes to school a slice of

* Emperors of the Golden Age, B, C. (235C-2205;

34 Cantonese Apothegms.

fried glutinous rice meal, an onion, and a red hat-
button are given him."

These three things are good auguries. The
slice of sticky meal is placed by him as he sits at
his desk, the hope being that he will stick to his
seat. The character for onion having the same
sound and tone as that for 'clever,' we at once ob-
serve the reason why the parent makes such an
extraordinary present to the child, and as various
coloured buttons worn on the crown of the hat
are the mark of official rank in China, the gift
of a button signifies the parent's wish, that the
son should attain to the proud distinction of the
Mandarinate.

i^BUM^- Tai lo king ng sz.

Great Lo classic involves trouble.
" The Tai Lo Classic involves one in trouble."

The reason assigned in support of this
statement is, that the work pretendS' to be a fairy
classic, whereas fairies have none.

^m^Mm^i\Um- To sung ming
shing king nang p6 kwok.

Much present intelligent holy classic able
protect country.

Education. 35

" The country may be preserved by distribut-
ing widely the Intelligent Holy Classic."

The work to which such remarkable latent
influence and power are ascribed is the Kwdn
Tai classic. It contains precepts, and exhorta-
tions, which form a precis of the ethical teaching
of * Confucius, Mencius, and other sages. It is
widely read, and selections are repeated before
the shrines of Kwan Tai.

^ -S ftt • ^"^ *^oi *'^' Books in stomach.
" A literary man."

:^ flt H : Tai-t'6 n^m. " A corpulent male."
Both sayings are used of learned men.
The erroneous conception as to the seat of
learning is one of those strange anomalies, which
do not fail to amuse the student of the Chinese
language, and which serve to illustrate how
widely divergent from our own is the view-point
from which the Asiatic mind observes most things.

A B^ -SE ^^ '• Y^" nang tsoi sam.

Man able dwell mind.
" Man possesses the power of concentration."

• Confucius Hred B. C. (552-479), and Mencius B. C.
(371-288). Vide Legge's edition of the Chinese Classics,

36 Cantonesk Apothegms.

^ M. H^ M '■ Shau-kwa hi chin. Fore-arm
swell open.

" Extremely clever."

yf> Am^Wi^^'f' ■■ Patyapfiiutin'
tak fu tsz. Not enter tiger den how get tiger son.

" If you do not enter the tiger's den how
can you get the tiger's cub ? "

No prize, that is worth having,, is attained
without taking risks, and overcoming adverse cir-
cumstances.

^ @H 7^ '• K'ung ts'5 tAi. Poor vinegar f:reat.

" An impecuni JUS and useless book-worm."
^ ^ ^ ^ : T'it in mo ch'iin. Iron ink-
slab rub through.

"He has completely worn out an iron ink-slab."
The Chinese do not use liquid ink, but
pour a littl J water on to a marble slab, and then
rub down a piece of Indian ink, and dip their
brush into the mixture. The saying is equiva-
lent to the English ; " he is a very Trojan for
work."

i3 ^ -^ ^ • Hoi kiin yau yik. Open roll
there-is benefit

" No volume is ever opened in vain."

Education. 37

# ^ :^ ^ ^J :^ : Ts6 tb 16 hole t6 16. Do
till old learn till old.

" As long as you live, work, and while
you work, study" ; or, " Till age, let work and
study go hand in hand."

Here we have an injunction worthy of
the best minds of the empire, and one which
is of universal application.

1^ ^ fi! 'O Sfe ift : Fuk p'in-p'in tdn yuk
min. Stomach full (of books and wisdom) but
wishes sleep. " Very le3.rned, but sleepy."

This has reference to a scholar of the Hon
dynasty, Pin Hau Sin, who, though very clever,
was always sleepy, and the phrase is employed
sarcastically today against scholars, who take
an afternoon siesta.

f^ H# ^ ^ >^ -^ i^ : Shik shi m6 cli^ wai
tsun-kit. Know times affairs that-one is pre-
eminent distinguished.

" He that is acquainted with affairs is

one of a thousand."

China stands in need of such men today to

save her from ruin.

•^ ^H — ' ^ ^ • Shau nim yat kiin pat. Hand

c^rry one piece pen. " Educated."

38 Cantonese Apothegms.

The meaning is, that the person spoken
of has, in his education and abiUty, a means of
livelihood, and need not depend on others.
:h -\r :r^ ^^ ^' Luk shap luk hok pat
tsuk. Six ten six learn not enough.

" At sixty-six one has not learned enough."

Knowledge, even when restricted to the
literature of a country which has defied the pro-
gress of the centuries, is inexhaustible.
B -^ iii T : Muk pat shik ting. Eye not
know ting (the two- stroked character ting f)
" He does not know B. from a bull's foot."

^ # ^ i? # E£ ^ : Siii kok un shing
yam ping ngoi.

Laugh each district sound tone together
foolish.

" One laughs at the pronunciation of each
district, as being equally absurd."

There are foreigners who argue, that the
Cantonese do not appreciate slight dialectic dis-
tinctions ; but the sarcasm embodied in the
phrase we have translated above, points to the
fact, that the educated classes are conscious of
the changes wrought in the spoken language by
a river, a valley, or a range of mountains.

There is no attempt at explanation. No

Education. 39

inquiry is made into the cause or causes. Dialects
exist, and are recognised as a source of amuse-
ment and ridicule.

The reader will understand, that it is not
the broad distinctions between Mandarin, Hakka,
Fukienese, and Cantonese, which are here referred
to, but the differeaces * in the use of the last of
these dialects. These differences are so marked
and so regular, that the student of Chinese learns
by degrees, that by some natural process the lan-
guage of China has been divided into dialects, and
that, perhaps, by an extension of the same process
these dialects have broken up again into sub-
dialects.

Thus we have Northern and Southern Man-
darin, West-End and provincial Cantonese, and,
so far as the Canton province is concerned,
there is an East River, and a North River Hakka.
The subject opened up by the phrase quoted is
most fascinating, and although it has received
some attention from various sinologues, it has not
yet been dealt with in that scientific and exhaus-
tive manner it deserves.

** The substitution of I for n in words like _S (nam),
X^ (nfi), and oiw for/ in words like Ijffc (fa), and of h
for th in the San Ui patois, and also many variations in
tones and in finals, will recur to the mind of every student
of Cantonese.

(40

III.

ETHICS.

— ■ » ~ t S 2l"» " —

Ti yuk m6 mdn yan tsz tsok t'in t'ong j'^au 16
pat chi hang. Earth-prison no door man himself
chisel-out heaven-hall has road not know walk.

" There is no door leading to ihell, but man
himself makes one, there is a road to heaven,
but man does not know how to walk in it."

^m'^'^mM^-m- T'in mong fdi-fiii
sho i pat lau. Heaven net vast large-meshes
but not let-through.

" Heaven's net is vast, and the^meshes there-
of are large, but no man slips through."

^ ^ 13 = Yau sam wai shin sdi shin pat
sheung m6 sam wai ok siii ok pat fat. Have
heart do light altho' right not reward, no heart
do wrong altho' wrong not punish.

" Intentional right doing, and unintentional
wrong doing are not recompensed."

Ethics. 4-1

^^m'^Wi^M^- Shin wai ftik mo
wo wai ok tsz. Goodness is happiness mother
calamity is evil son.

" Goodness is the mother of happiness and
calamity is the son of evil."

# S ^ PVit A S ^ : Shin ok m6 miin
wai yan tsz chiii. Goodness evil no door only
man himself calls.

" No man is forced by heaven to do good or
evil, he himself chooses."

mBZmnBM 1^' •■ Shin ok Chi p6
ii ying ts'ui ying. Goodness evil their recom-
pense like shadow following substance.

" Reward and punishment follow goodness and
evil as certainly as shadow follows substance."

f^#^^f^^^^^: Tsok shin ii hing
tsok ok ii yeung. Do good abounding happiness
do evil abounding calamities.

" Do that which is right, and you will enjoy
a superfluity of happiness, do that which is evil
and your cup of misery will overflow."

^^; Shin pat tsik pat tsuk i shing ming,
ok pat tsik pat tsuk i mit shan.

'42 Cantonese Apothegms.

Goodness not accumulate not enough where-
with make name, evil not accumulate not enough
wherewith destroy body.

" If good deeds accumulate then a name will
be made, but if evil increase then the body will
be destroyed."

#^ 5c^Sfii*Ai!J: Shin tang t'iu
t'ong ok hdm ti yuk. Good ascend heaven wicked
descend hell.

" The good go to heaven, but the wicked
descend into hades."

^ 1 ^n ^mB^tm- Ming ts'6yau
sheung shin fat ok chi sz. Hades officials have
recompense good punish evil their officers.

" Among the officers in Hades, there is one
that recompenses the good, and another that pun-
ishes the evil."

^ M i@ # 18 !^ : T'in t6 fok shin wo yam.
Heaven path (or, doctrine) happiness good calam-
ity licentious.

" Heaven's method is to make the good
happy, and the profligate wretched "

w r" IP W : Shin miin ndn hoi. Goodness
door difficult open.

Ethics. 43:

" It is difficult to commence philanthropical
work,"

The reas(ju assigned is one that presses
itself with terrible weight upon all, who wish to
alleviate the sufferings of humanity, viz: — that
there is no limit to the needs of the poor and dis-
tressed, and consequently one does not know
where to begin.

^#in^^^.^Jw: Ts'ung shin u
tang ts'ung ok ii pang. Follow good like as-
cending" follow evil like falling,

" The pursuit of goodness is like ascending,
the pursuit of evil like falling down."

inf^'l^^imJI^MH^- tj km sham un
ii li pok ping. I^ike near deep abyss like tread
thin ice.

" Like treading upon thin ice,'and standing on
the edge of a precipice."

Life is full of dangers. The path of recti-
tude skirts the precipice, and crosses deep waters,
and, therefore, the utmost caution is needed to
avoid a fall.

n^:^-\'-:^^^'b:flZ^: Hang
nin Ink shap fong chi ng shap kau chi fe. Walk
years six ten then know five ten nine their faults.
" At sixty a man realises the faults of fifty nine."

44.

IV.
EX A MINA TIONS.

^ ^ ^ : T'in hoi pong. Heaven opens list.
" Heaven makes out the list of successful
-candidates at the examination."

With the Chinese, everything is a question
of Heaven's decree. For him, who has obtained,
the decree, heirs, honour, wealth, and longevity
are reserved. Others are fated to seek in vain.
The almost total indifference of the Chinese
to their physical and moral surroundings is due
to their fatalistic creed. The responsibility for
all life's ills rests with heaven. Periods of pros-
perity and fortune are predetermined not only
for individuals, but also for nations. Why then,
the Chinese argue, should they worry and bestir
themselves about insanitary conditions, the
dense ignorance, and prevailing poverty of the

Examinations. 4§

masses, the peculations of officials, and the state
of ruin into which the country has fallen, when
every effort to change the decree would befutile.

mmr-m^m^z- )^'m = m6 ch'an

pat hoi pong mo Li pat shing fo. No Ch'an not
open B.A. — list no Li not complete M.A. — ex-
amination.

" Without the surname Ch'an a list of success-
ful B.A. candidates could not be made out, and
without the surname Li an M.A. examination
could not be held."

The surnames Ch'an and Li are akin to
the English surnames, " Smith " and " Brown."

Ili^^ ^^MTC ■■ Chuk shii hoi fa
chung chong-iin. Bamboo tree open flower pass
first- Hanlin.

" When the bamboos flower, a native of the
province will head the list of Hanlin graduates,"
With this event, which occurs, as a rule, once in
half a centuiy, the Chinese connect famine, pes-,
tilence, and war, thus showing that the supersti-
tious readily believe the same occurrence to be
both auspicious and inauspicious.

The bamboos flowered throughout this pi'o-
yince in the spring of 1899, and in the autumn

46 Cantonesf: Apothegms.

Kwong Sii was dethroned, and 1900 proved to be
the Boxer Year.

Jf^ 7C '1^ P9 4^ = Chong-iin p'a man tsz,
First-Hanlih fears ask characters.

" The first of the Hanlin graduates fears to
be questioned on characters,"

Though a scholar of eminent degree, a
Hanlin is conscious of the disparity betweea
his actual knowledge of characters, and the num-
ber of hieroglyphs in the dictionaries. TheHan-
lin's bashfulness is perfectly natural, for while
there are only from four to eight thousand char-
acters in common use, an average double page
of the Kang Hi Dictionary (]^ {^ ^ Jft) con-
tains one hundred and ten, and there are three
hundred and fifty nine pages in the book. *

4* tI^ TC H *|6 j^ : Chung chong-un id ti
hau. Pass first-Hanlin need ground thick.

" To come out first of the Hanlin graduates
the earth of your village must be deep."

Shantung is famous for the depth of its wells,
and the number of its Senior Wranglers.

* The commonly accepted estimate, that there are forty
thousand words in the language, must be very nearly correct.

Examinations. 47

^ ^ SS H : Chii i tim t'au. Red clothes
dot head. " The spirit dressed in red nods his
head."

As the examiner-in-chief (^ ^, Chii Hau)
goes through the papers at his desk, the spirit
described is supposed to stand behind him, and,
when he picks up an essay that ought to pass,
the spirit nods assent.

A M # *£ M J^E : Yap wai p4i hung hdk
k'i. Enter examination gate worship red black
flag.

" The examiners, having entered through the
gate of the examination grounds , worship a red
and a black flag."

They do this by order of the Emperor. In wor-
shipping the red flag the spirits of those, who
have been helped or benefited by the candidates,
are entreated to come and assist their benefactors
in the examination. The prayer offered before
the black flag is that the spirits of those, who in
this life were injured or murdered by intended
candidates, may come into the cells, and avenge
tlie past upon their former enemies.*

*' Vide page 49.

48. Cantonese Apothegms,

® jj? ^ : Shui shd yung. Sleep sartd man.
" A corpse placed on the sand.','
The law of China is. such, that should an
examiner or candidate die within the examination
enclosure during the examination the body is
placed on the ground, and afterwards thrown over
the wall, for the entrance is a royal gate, and no
corpse must be carried through.

With respect to a yam^n, the rule is nqt quite
so stringent. In case of death, the Mandarin, his
wife, or his mother may be borne out through the
gates, but the bodies of Soldiers, clerks, or depu-
ties must be put through a hole made in the
encircling wall.

i Ci ^ • ^g shik pat. Five colour brush.
" Five (different) coloured pencils."
In the process of examining the papers five
colours are used, and -every candidate, whose es-
say is marked with all five, passes.

^ M M ^'^ ^7U' Kau ut t'ung-shang
pin chong-iin. Nine month candidate become '
first- Hanlin.*

"- There is no such regulation in China as the
keeping of a certain number of terms, or the

* " A man may take all the degrees from B. A. to first
Hanlin in 9 months."

Examinations. 49

enforced waiting of two years, prior to taking
an intermediate, or a final examination. Hence,
it has been known, when the examinations
have run on consecutively, as they happen to do
occasionally, that a young man has gone right
through from B. A. to first-Hanlin in the course

of nine months.

^ ^ S^ ^ ■ Sing shi fat fo. Surnames

surnames come-out M. A.

" Some surnames graduate M. A."

That is to say, certain surnames are lucky.

San-iii yan in, san fo kii-tsz nai nang chung
tsun-sz.

San-iii man must new M. A. -examination
elected then able get LL. D.

" San-Ui (one of the Sz Yap districts of thin
province) candidates must be M. A. graduates of
the most recent M. A. examination in order to
graduate doctors" (LL. D.)

S 1% S -fr ^ ■ Kung iin tsz ta sz.

Examination hall self beat death.
" Suicide in the examination building.''
No examination is conducted, I find, without

50 Cantonese Apothegms.

one or more suicides occurring in the cells in
which the candidates are cooped up for three days
and nights. The explanation suggested, is that
these men, who destroy themselves, have, at
some period of their lives, been implicated-either
directly or indirectly-in murder, and that the ghost -
of the departed takes advantage of the murderer's
enforced loneliness to avenge itself in the manner
described. Within the Canton examination en-
closure there are 13,000 cells.

■^ ^ ^' Ts'iin pong Lam. Whole list Lam,
" The whole list of successful exaiiiination
candidates contained only the surname Lam."

The story recounted in connection with this
traditional saying is as follows : — Years ago in
the Fuk-kien province the examiner deter-
mined for some reason or other, that no person
surnamed Lam should be passed, and therefore
he carefully placed all the essays written by
men of this surname in a jar before marking
the other papers, but a fire suddenly broke
out in the building, and the examiner careful
only to make good his. escape, left everything
to be demolished by the flames. When the

Examinations. 51

fire was over, the debris was searched for ma-
terial upon which to write a report, and only the
jar with the rejected essays remained intact.
W ^ ^ •% •' Mang miii kon hau. Blind
girl hurry take-examination.*

" In Canton city there are several thousand
blind girls, and the life of degradation, to
which they are doomed by the corrupt state
of society, excites pity in all hearts capable
of the finer feelings of our race. These girls
are hawked round the streets at night, and
hired out to sing licentious songs, and when
tliere is an influx of thousands of examina-
tion candidates into Canton, then also these
poor bats and owls are brought in scores to this
city, which is, perhaps, the wickedest in China.

^^$^ ^~f' ^'- W^i f^ wong kii-tsz mong.

Cassia- Japonica flower yellow candidate
fluster.

" When the Cassia Japonica blooms the
M. A. candidates become excited."

The examination is held synchronously with
the blossoming of these flowers,

* " The blind girls are hurrying to take their examination."

52 Cantonese Apothegms.

^ ^ ^ ^ • Ni-fung t'ang-luk. Seal tran-
scribe.

" Seal up the name of the essayist, and write
out a copy of the essay."

That part of the regulations affecting Chinese
examinations, which, quite apart from the stan-
dard of excellence attained by the candidates,
allows only about one per cent to pass, strikes
every foreigner as being grossly unfair. And
when the men, who get into the hundred from
which the thirty or eighty are chosen, find
themselves rejected, they smart under this in-
justice. Whether, as is possible, there is a political
reason for the restriction, the writer does not
know, but the principle on which the papers are
marked is almost as just as one could wish, for
as each essay is copied, and as the name of the
essayist does not appear, the examiner cannot,
except by collusion with the copyists, show par-
tiality. Still, the system of bribery being co-
extensive with the government service, the
commonly received opinion, that degrees are
occasionally sold, cannot be without some
foundation in fact.

53

FEASTS.

f^ ^: Ts'z in. Bestow feast. "Give a feast.."

The Emperor occasionally invites an official j
of high rank to partake of a meal with him,
and the gracious act is known by the above
designation. The honour, however, is dearly
paid for by the time the feast is over, for the
guest kneels throughout, and for every mouth-
ful of food taken he is obliged to knock his head
on the floor as a sign of gratitude to his-
sovereign.

^ ^ • Ch'di miii. Guess stem.
" Guess the number of fingers."
At a feast two guests sitting opposite each other
will suddenly commence to throw out their right
hands towards each other, and, as they do so, both
shout out a number, which is a gxiess at the num-
ber of fingers held up, and each time the winner
fines the loser by making him drink a cup of wine.
So the game often proceeds till the small hours of
the morning, or till the fingers cannot be disting-
uished from stems. By habitual drinkers the

54 Cantonese Apothegms.

game can be kept up for a very long time with-
out any sign of intoxication appearing, for the
ordinary Chinese wine-cup holds but a thim-
bleful.

^ J^ : Ch'i tsik. Fins mat. *
" Shark fins' feast."

At this feast there are always eight large
and eight small dishes, sixteen plates, and two
course of sweet cakes.

J^ fi : Hung pAk tsik. " Red (and) white
feast." This is the general designation for a
first class feast, at which bird's nest always forms
the first course, and shark's fins the second.
W^ ^ M- Yam M tsau. Drink flower wine.

" Partake of a feast with prostitutes."
M ±^'^ 'Mm^ '^Z-'^> Tsosh^ung
hdk aheung miin tsun chung tsau pat hung.

Seat upon guest always full bottle middle
wine not empty.

" May the guest room always be full, and the
wine in the cellar never run short."

* The ancients sat on mats spread on the floor. Today
the Chinese take their meals seated round a table as we do.

Feasts. 55

tfl ^ ; Chung ch'euk. Middle table.
" A servants' Mist."
"When officials dine together, their followers
always have a separate feast provided either in
the yam^n or at a restaurant.

^ ^ ^ ^ : Hi sz ts'6 ch'd. Glad affairs
coarse tea. " At merry-makings the tea is poor."
Moral : If you wish to drink good tea, visit
your friend on an ordinary occasion.

#: V® S #J ^ '^ ilb ^ @$ : Yam tsau id
t6 se lok ti min tsui. Drink wine must pour
little down ground prevent drunk.

•' When wine is drunk a little should be pour-
ed out on the ground to prevent intoxication."

If the fullest extent of propriety be observed
by a host at a feast, then he will not only bow
each guest separately according to the order of
precedence to his seat, but after conducting the
guest to his place will take first the chopsticks,
then the wine-cup, and then the spoon, and with
each make a low obeisance.

56

VI

FESTIVALS.

^ ■' -^

!^ i® '^ • U \in lii : Dish fragrant-plant
association.

The above is an alternative for |^ fjj (kwai
tsit), wliich means " Ghosts' festival."

The festival is of Buddhist origin, and is al-
ways celebrated during the seventh moon of the
Chinese year by the entire population of China
without distinction of birth or state. It is be-
lieved, that the gates of hades are thrown open,
and that the shades, who dwell by the river styx
swarm up through the portals, hungry, desti-
tute, and naked, but vested with terrible powers,
to seek money, food, and clothing on the earth.

On a certain day, and each family chooses its
own day, food, in the form of vegetables, rice, and
fruit, and cash are thrown into the street for the
ghosts to consume and use, and paper clothes are
burned for them to wear, and so great is the fear of
injury to person and family, that even the poorest
spend the little they can so ill afford on paper

Festivals. 57

money. Some go to the graves to perform the
ceremony. Of the things dropped into the
streets, the fruit and copper cash are picked up by
beggars.

"^ ■'-5 "iiJ • ^^t ban tsit. Beg smartness
festival.

" The beg-for-skill festival."

Only unmarried girls keep this festival,
which is held on the first of the seventh moon.

The seven stars, or seven sisters, which are
the Pleiades, are worshipped, and entreated by
the maidens to bestow skill, and each year
tables are laden with skilful productions in
needle work, in paper, wool &c, all the hand
work of young girls, to show that the previous
year's prayers have been answered, and to
what extent in each case.
^ Hi : Tang tsit. " Lantern festival."

On the fifteenth of the first moon the people
purchase lanterns to hang up in the shop or
home. ■ In both cases it is suspended before
the idol shrine, but in the former it is with a
view to entreat riches, and in the latter to pray
for children.

S8 Cantonese Apothegms.

Though some keep the lantern a whoJe year
before destroying it, as a rule it is burned on
the second of the second rnoon.

•1^ ^ M • Ch'tip ch'eung-p'6. Fix-in flag
bixlrush.

" Hang the Acorus Calamus upon the door."
At the Dragon Festival, always celebi'ated
on the 5th of the 5th moon, this sweet flag is
fastened to the foot-door (Keukmun). The
Acorus Calamus has flattened edges, and the
Chinese imagination saw in it a two-edged sword
provided by heaven to defend the house against
evil spirits. It is further believed, that it has
power to attract riches and honour.

The " Dragon- Boat Festival " had its origin
in the search by boat for the bodj- of Wat Un,
who committed suicide by drowning. He was a
great minister (Tai fii) in Ch'o, which country
covered the whole of Hupeh, Hunan and Kiang-
si, before the age of Confucius ; * but the grief
that a currupt court and a misgoverned country
inspired in his heart impelled him to destroy

'■* Confuciua was born B. C. 552.

Festivals. 59

himself. The famous book of poems entitled
" Li So King " was from his pen. The hand of
time changes nearly everything it touches, and
in this festival we have a striking instance.
What was first a reverential and sorrowful
search, and then in all probability an act of
mourning, became a regatta at which crews
from different places compete in races which spec-
tators watch from boats and the banks as at
Henley, as the writer has witnessed at Nam Kong.
In many places, however, the boals, in which
there are often from 80 to 90 men, who, save the
four who stand to beat drums and gongp, sit
two abreast, are simply paddled up and down the
river to make a noise and a show.

fk i^ nk UT WiMm- Shap p'au npg
fat ting ts'oi kwai shau. Pick-up cannon pro-
duce sons, Avealth, honour, longevity.

" He who picks up the cannon will have
heirs, wealth, honour, and will enjoy longevity."

On the 2nd day of the 2nd moon a ring is
shot from a bamboo cannon into the air, and
whoever makes himself the happy possessor of
the ring upon its falling to the ground is sup-
posed thereafter to be smiled upon by fortune.

60 Cantonese Apothegms.

^ B# # ii m * ;^ -^ M W ^ A *i ■

Ng shi shii nang t'lii shui fo to-ts'dk kun-fe
ch'ung ngai. Noon time boot at>le push-back
water fire robber lawsuit insects ants.

" The writing of the 5th day of the 5th moon
wards off floods, fires, robbers, lawsuits and in-
sects."

The charms referred to are those connected
with the Dragon Boat Festival.

Ta fo sing tsiu ii pin shui ch'e kau fo ping
pun ts'in fo mat. Strike fire star Tsiii prepare
ready water engine save fire also move cargo
things.

" Before Mars' festival, prepare the fire-en-
gine to extinguish fires, and be ready also to
move your goods and chattels."

Experience is a fruitful source of colloquial
sayings which contain wholesome advice. At
the autumn festival when the ' fire star ' (Mars)
is worshipped, chandeliers and boxes of images
are suspended over the streets, Avhile here and
there in these crowded thoroughfares theatres are
erected for all night performances. As these
structures consist entirely of painted boards and

Festivals. 61

bamboo ties, it will be readily imagined, that
during this festival, there occur conflagrations
which are directly due to the modus operandi of
the worship which is offered in order that during
the dry season there may not be any fires.

^ ^ ^' King p'ing p'au. Mirror screen
cannon. " The mirror-screen cannon."
On the occasion of the. Earth God's birthday
a bamboo cannon is fired, and whoever picks up
the first ball obtains the first prize, which may
be a screen ; but the winner is obliged to sup-
ply a prize of equal value for the successful com-
petitor the following year.

1^ P ^ Kf : Sai t'au kwo tsit. Wash head
pass festival.

" Wash your head before a festival,"

The reason is that on each festival the idols
are worshipped, and cleanliness is a sign of re-
verence.
^ ^ : Kwo nin. Pass-across year.

" Keep New Year."

The New Year's holiday is the most festive
season of the whole year. For several days all

62 Cantonese Apothegms.

shops are shut while some remain closed for a
fortnight. Houses and shop-fronts are decorat-
ed with new paper charms, the idols are worshipp-
ed, friends are visited, and on every hand one
hears the salutation : ^ ^ ^ ^ : Kung hi
(fdt ts'oi,) " Respectful congratulations, may-
you-get rich! "
^ ^ : Ts'ing Ming. " Pure Brightness."

Ts'ing Ming'm the Spring Festival when the
people flock to the hills and mountains to repair,
the tombs and to present offerings of meat and
wine to the spirits of their ancestors.

The origin of this universal practice is un-
known, but the records of its existence go back
more than two thousand five hundred years.
:fe ^ : LAp ch'un. "Establish Spring."

See pages 28, 29.
31^ ^ : Kwo Tung. Pass Winter.
" "Winter Festival."
This festival, which falls on the day follow-
ing the shortest day of the year, is kept as a
general holiday.

S 1^ HJ ; Ch'ung yeung ts'it. " Ch'ung
Yeung Festival."

Festivals. 63

The origin of this festival is accounted for by
the following story. An ancient worthy was
visited by a fair}' who revealed to him that
calamity would descend upon his home on the
9 th of the 9 th moon and that he ought to go
away on that day. The man believed the warn-
ing and spent the day mentioned on the top of
a mountain, and when he returned to his house,
he found that it had been destroyed by fire. To-
day many celebrate the festival by going out to
the hills and mountains to worship at the graves
of their ancestors. .' -

V# ^ 10 : Yuk fat tsit.

" Bathe Buddha Festival."

On this festival, which falls on the 8th of
the 4th moon, the people eat Imsat hiscmts which
are made of grass and flour.
^ ^ : Ch'ii tsik. Remove evening.

" New Year's eve."

The people always worship the idols in their
homes on New year's eve, and the practice of
bowing on that occasion to each other and to
friends who live near is termed {^ ^ : T'sz sui.)

64

Cantonese Apothegms.

" Taking-leave-of (the old) year."
For the information of students a list of the
Chinese Festivals is appended. It will be noticed
that there are two in each month of the year : —

IE ^ jt # P@ tIc
H >^ ;1 B>^ ^ pg

3t H i* ^ W S

+ ^ jt ^ /h S

65

VII.

Shang tsoi S6-Chau shik tsoi Kwong-Uhau clieuk
tsoi Hong-Chau sz tsoi Ting-Chau.
Born in Soochau eat in Canton dress in Hang-chau
die in Tingchau.

" One ought to be born in Soochau, eat in
Canton, dress in Hangchau, and die in Tingchau."

Soochau supplies the healthiest physical en-
vironment, Canton the greatest variety of food,
Hangchau the finest silks, and Tingchau the
best coffin- wood.

K J^ #c ^ ^ ' Man i shik wai t'in. Peo-
ple take eat to-be heaven.

" As regards the people, food must be consid-
ered the most important thing."

M ^ 4^ H = Ts'am shik chung kvvok. Silk-
worms eat Middle Kingdom.
"Nibbling at China."

By this phrase the action of the Foreign
Powers in seizing ports is most aptly compared
with the silkworm's gradual nibbling at the
mulberry leaf until the whole is consumed.

66 Cantonese Apothegms.

^ © i^ ^ • H5 shi hai chai. Oysters pickled
are vegetable-diet.

" Dried (salted) oysters are vegetarian diet."
"^ ^ \W JA^MW- Shik san cli'ut kwa
ts'oi ch'eung shau. Eat new produced cucur-
bitaceous vegetable long life.

" If one eats cucurbitaceons vegetables when
they first come in season, then one will enjoy
long life."

4111 II ^i| IS @ # : Om-ch'un che-kii t'au
sham p6. Quails partridges heads very nourish-
ing.

" The heads of the quail and the partridge are
very nourishing."

^^.m^&P^m^- Ta pin 16

lok keung hau pat p5 ch'dk. Strike edge stove
put in ginger mouth not blister crack.

" In ^vhipping the stove, if a little ginger
is put into the water, then the mouth will not
blister or the lips crack."

The Chinese custom of " whipping the stove,"
is very interesting. During the cold weather
the people of fairly well-to-do families often place

Foods. 67

a charcoal stove (fung 16) on the table at meal
times. On the stove rests a vessel of boiling
water into which, as the meal proceeds, pieces of
raw meat and uncooked fish are dipped by the
company. The slices are very thin, and hence
thoy are partially cooked by being thus immersed.

^ M ^f^^'- Yam ho shui hu mi.
Drink river water good taste.
" Kiver water has a good flavour."
In Chinese cities well water is nearly always
more or less brackish owing to the insanitary
conditions which obtain throughout the country.

^ 1^ f S • Yeung t'du p6. Sheep head nou-
rishing. " Sheep's head is nourishing."
W^ &.^,'- Kwo p'i wan. Fruit skin safe.

" Fruit rind is harmless."

Orange peel is used in Chinese cuisine in
the preparation of a number of dishes, and the
thick rind of the pumelo is boiled with sugar
and made into sweets.
^ M S ^ ^ : Shik lo-pak fiit mung.

Eat turnips produce dreams.

" If you eat turnips you dream."

As the Cantonese like their vegetables crisj,),

68 Cantonese Apothegms.

i.e. partially cooked, the dreaming is probably
due directly to indigestion, and indirectly to the
turnips which, being eaten while hard, cause the
indigestion.

fr tfi >ttt H^ eg 'ha M : San ch'ut kwa ts'oi
m p'd kwai. New produced cucurbitaceous veg-
etable not fear dear.

" Do not mind the dear price of cucurbitaceous
vegetables, when they first come in season." *
^ ^ 1^ : i^hik fan ts'oi. Eat barbarian veg-
etables. " Eat foreign food."
^ f? ^ '^ ^^ : Kai tsai tkw yau p6.
Chicken little eggs have nourishing.
" Addled eggs are nourishing."

>> W^W^-k^^- Siu fau p'ing shik tdi t'6.
Little floating weeds eat big stomach.

" To eat the vegetation which grows on the
surface of stagnant water causes obesity."

i M ^ ^S ^ : Ng kdng fdn p5 shan.
Fifth watch rice nourishes body.

" Rice eaten during the 5th watch (3-5 a.m.)
is very nourishing."

<* Vide the second phrase on page 6G.

Foods. 69

Sii ^ ifc M • Shat-nti chi ki. "Lice stop
(the pangs of) hunger."

This is said of beggars, who sit by the road
side and hunt their filthy rags for vermin.

?S 1^ ^ -^ i^ H A : Tsau hai mai ts6 ku
pau yan. Wine is rice made therefore fills
men.

" Wine is made from rice and therefore
satisfies hunger."

■^ ^ ^^ 0^ ; Xii yan kau yuk. Female per-
son dog flesh. '' Women's dog-flesh."

Guavas are thus vulgarly described since wo-
men are as fond of them as men are of dog's-flesh.
j^ ^ ^ ; Wai shik kwai. For eat devil.

"A glutton."
y^ ^ ^ • Tai shik lii. Great eat association.
" A dinner association."

This name is applied to a coterie of familiar
friends who informally band themselves together
and agree to give dinners in turn.

-t*^ ^ ' Sheung ch'a-kii. Go-up tea-house.
"Go to a restaurant."

70 Cantonese Apothegms.

It is customary for mechanics and labourers to
leave their work twice during the day to seek
refreshment at the tea-shops.
Such breaks are a necessity, for at many shops
the workmen work for their employers from
daylight till nine o'clock at night.
^ :{]§' ^ : Shik chi tung. Eat finger moves.

"First-finger twitches."

Tradition affirms that an ancient personage,
Tvhose forefinger sometimes moved involuntarily,
discovered that as sure as his finger twitched he
would be invited to a feast, and hence today a
person instead of remarking that he has been
asked out to dinner will simply say that his fore-
finger twitches.

^ ^ @» ^ : Ngang pin ii shong. Hard
side fish crisp.

" The hard side of a fish is crisp."

Fish-mongers, in slicing a fish, cut out onS
side leaving the head and tail on the other,
which is called the hard side. Why one side of

Foods. 71

the same fish should he considered more tooth-
some than the other, it is difficult to imagine, and
there appears to be no explanation of the strange
notion.

^^Mm^MBiWi- TJng tsoi sung
tsau hiu keuk fan kan. Ung vegetable eaten-;
with wine understands feet reverse muscles.

" The Ung vegetable if eaten with wine pro-
duces cramp."

"M. ^ ^ ^ '• U chuk wai wai. Fish broth
spoils appetite. "Fish chu^ spoils the appetite."

Chuk is a thick broth made by boiling rice
in plenty of water until the grains break up in-
to shreds. At some country irms the traveller
finds it supplied for lunch, and where the people
have not been educated by foreign doctors to the
use of condensed or fi-esh milk it is the ordinary
diet given to the sick.

72

VIII.

FOREIGNERS.
«

gg y^ M j^ : Sai yan mo lai. Western men
no propriety.

" Westerners have no rules of propriety."
From the Chinese stand-point we behave with
the gravest impropriety when we shake hands
with ladies or walk arm-in-arm with them ; but the
spiral vibration on meeting, instead of the inimi-
table bow, and if worn, the non-removal of spec-
tacles, these things-not to mention the wearing of
short coats-are highly offensive and betray our
want of (oriental) manners and refinement.
® A. ^ '(^ ; Sai yan chung sun. Western
men loyal trustworthy,

" Westerners are loyal and trustworthy."
This golden opinion has been won after many
decades of political, commercial, and religious
intercourse.

# ^ f^ H th ^ i^ : Fan kwai 16 kwai
kai to tiin. Foreign devil fellow devil tricks
many kinds.

Foreigners. 73

"The foreign devil has no end of deviliah
tricks."

In this sneer we have the occasional reply of
a Chinaman to one of his countrymen as he di-
lates on the great ability and wonderful resources
of the foreigner in building steam-ships and rail-
ways, and in lighting the streets by means of
electricity.

'^ M ^'- L6 Kwoug tung. Old Kwangtung.
''An old Kwangtungite."

This appellation is given to foreigners who
have resided a good many years in this province,
and who have become acquainted with the lan-
guage, ways, and customs of the people, and who
therefore could not be easily deceived.

# ^ ^ ii ^ ^* : Fan kwai 15 t'ai ch'iin
shek. " Foreign devil fellow sees through rock."
Every time a foreigner climbs a hill or moun-
tain this remark is made by simple superstitious
folk, who verily believe that the foreign devil's
eyes can discover gold or silver through several
strata of rock.

74 Cantonese Apothegms.

•^ ^1* — ' ^ : Chung ngoi yat kd. Middle
outside one family.

" The people of the Middle Kingdom and
those outside it constitute one family."

There is a class of Chinese, who believe iu
the unity of the human race.

^ ^ 1M^' Fengo tsuk lui. Not my clan
race.

" Thej'^ do not belong to my clan or race."
We could not wish for a truer picture of the
attitude that the Chinese people as a whole
have assumed towards foreigners than that por-
trayed in these words.

^ # W ffl : Ch'o t'soi Tsun yung. Ch'o
ability Tsun uses.

" China uses foreigner's brains."
The subtle irony underlying these words
leaves the Oriental in the proud position of
scornful ascendenc3\

^ ^ i^ \U- Tse cho t'd shdn. Borrow help

another mountain.

" Borrow another country's assistance."
This, China has been forced to do as regards

her army, navy, and Maritime Customs.

FOKEIGNEES. 75

^ il^ + ^ ^ : Mi sam shap-tsz-ka. Ej'e-
brows heart cross.

" He has a cross on his forehead."
The sign of the cross made when a priest
baptizes a convert is supposed to sink into the
forehead and become indehble.
MW ^- Mo pin 16. No queue fellow.

" A foreigner."
3^ ^: Hung mo. Red hair. "An English-
man."

Englishmen are thus described irrespective
of the colour of their hair.

m ^ 5|5 ^ : Ch'ung yik loi ch'iu. Repeated
translate come court.

" Their despatches are translated again and
again ere they come to court."

For example, English, German, and Russian
documents have been translated into French,
and from French into Chinese, and then pre-
sented.

^ ^ M ^'- Chi nam fan kwok. Point
South return country.

" They returned to their country by means
of the pointing-South-chariot."

It is believed that this historic vehicle was

76 Cantonese Apothegms.

specially invented to allow of the return ot
foreigners to their own country.
flS # m S Ch'iu-Kwan ch'ut ts'oi. " Ch'iu
Kwan went-out-through the barrier." Ch'iu
K"wan was the name of a royal concubine who
was given in marriage to a King of Huug-no by
an Emperor of the Hon Dynasty, and now when-
ever a Chinese woman marries a foreigner this
phrase is used in a metaphorical sense,
M ^T : Hon Kan. Hon traitors. " Chinese
traitors."

All those who serve foreigners, and those who
become Christians, are thus spoken of by those
who hate the barbarians, but originally the epi-
thet was applied only to those who betrayed
their countrv by assisting foreign armies.

^mzmmn^^t^f-^Ym-- Hungshing

chi kau tseung ch'iin lau ii ngoi kwok. Confu-
cius sage his rehgion will transmit flow in
outside countries.

" Confucianism will be propagated in for-
eign countries."

The presumption is based not only upon
the number of foreigners, who have come from
the West to reside in the Middle Kingdom, and

Foreigners. 77

the number of Chinese, who emigrate to the
Strait Settlements, America, and Australia, but
also upon the famous dictum of Confucius : —

Ng man yung Ha pin I che mi man pin ii I die
jA. I heard use Ha transform I those not yet
heard transformed by I those.

" I have heard of Chinese reforming- bar-
barians, but not of their being reformed by bar-
barians."

IK SM ^ # ^ : Ngirik-t'au tsok tak tsz.
Fore-head engrave get characters.

" You have characters engraved upon jour
forehead."

The heathen sometimes thus addresses his
friend, who informs him that he. has become a
Christian, and in doing so shows his apprecia-
tion of the fact that the inward change manifests
itself in the face.

^ %i \^' Fan kwai 16. " Foreign devil fel-
low;" ^ A Fan yan : "Barbarian man ; "i:^^
L6 fan : "Venerable barbarian," and ^ A '.
-' Western man," are the general appellations by
which foreigners are known.

78

IX.

FRIENDSHIP.

t# — ^ a pT ^ ili : Tak yat chi-ki ho
md hom. Obtain one know-self may no regret.

" If a man secure an intimate friend he may
easily be without, regrets."
fli ^ ^ a M ifr- ^ f^ A W : Nang wai
chi-ki to nan ii tsuk yan in. Able with know-
self speak difficult with common men talk.

" I can converse with my intimate friends, but
not with common men."

There is no pleasure in speaking with men
who cannot enter into one's ideas and ambitions.
S tB S @ • U-seung tsz yik. Reciprocally
give benefit. " Friends should help each other."

W »M 5(6 ^>l ^ 1; * -^ : Yau kwo seung
kw'ai yau kap seung tsai. Have fault mutually
admonish have extremity mutually relieve.

" Friends should admonish one another as to
faults, and help each other in case of extremity."
mi> ^ ^'- Mong nin kdu. Forget 5'ears friend-
ship. " A friendship that disregards age."

Friendship. 79

This is a tribute to the aged, who are suf-
ficiently liberal-minded to accept the friendship
of youth in face of the proprieties which require
that youth should keep at an honourable and
Eespectful distance.

^ iM ^ ^ • '^'^^^ ^o^^ chi-ki. Heaven
horizon know-self.

" An unchanging friend."

— ' W^ ^ ^ '• Yat nok ts'in kam. One pro-
mise thousand gold.

" His promise is worth a thousand gold
pieces."

^ Ij 1^ 1^ = Shun mong ch'i hon. Lips
lost teeth cold.
" If the lips are lost the teeth become cold."

In other words : " If you are lost I shall be
left unprotected."

— ■ B ~. W^'- Yat yat sam ts'au. One day
three autumns.

'' One day's absence seems like three years."
IP S ffi ^ •■ Kau ts'at seung t'au. Glue
varnish together unite.

" They stick together like varnish and glue."

So Cantonese Apothegms.

M ^Ij BR ^^- Mong toiigautb ch'un.
Look till eyes also perforate.

" I have looked for you till my eyes have -
almost started out of my head."
^ ^M ^ ' Mok ngdk kAu. No contrary friend-
ship.

" A friendship without differences and dis-
agreements."

1^\ ^ ^ '• Mong ying kau. Forget body
friendship.

"A friendship that disregai'ds station."
i'B Mj tfi fl^ : Seung kin han man. Mutually
see regret late.

" I regret we did not meet each other
sooner."
— ' ^ tlfi i^- Yat kin ii kii. One see as old.

" Like old friends on first meeting."
'M '^ M M- Tsau shik p'ang-yau. Wine
eat friend.

" A friend in prosperity."
1^ M ft ^ : Lai sheung wong wan. Propriety
ought go return.

" Propriety requires reciprocity."

Visits paid must be returned, presents given

Fhiendship. 81

must be recompensed by similar gifts, and aid
rendered ought to be joyfully repaid.
Ife '(i* M ^ : T'ui sam chi fuk. Push (my)
heart place-in (your) stomach.
" Communicate everything."

^ ^ A 'Ir ^ ^ si : Sau-ts'oi yan-ts'ing
chi pun cheung. B.A. kindness paper half sheet.
"A literary man's friendship never amounts
to more than a note or letter."

^^^M f^ &.^'- Kwong kwan ii-cheuk
mo p'i ch'di. Bare stick met no skin fire-wood.
" The SAvindler met a sharper."
Each became the other's friend in vain.

^ ^ ^ ^ : Shiug kii tai lap. Kide carriage
wear basket-for-hat.

" Though you become a lord, and I handle
the plough we will always be the same."

$J^^ }tf^ '• Ting p'u kit hing-tai. Write
register unite brothers.

" Swear brotherhood."

Mock registers are filled in by two friends
and exchanged. At the same time they worship
(^ ^' T'in-ti:) Heaven (and) Earth by burning
incense and lighting candles. To perform this

82 Cantonese Apothegms.

ceremony with thirteen men is a capital offence.
The reservation is to protect the country from
from secret societies.

/V ^ ^ ^ : Pat pai chi kdu. Eight bows its
friendship. "The eight bows friendship."

After brotherhood has been sworn the two
friends kneel to each other eight times.
^ H. fl^ ^ : Man li shan kau. Ten-thousand
li spiritual friendship.

" Spiritual intercourse over 3000 miles."
^ J39 ^6] ^ • Chit p'ang kau yau. Pig friend's-
friends dog friends.

" Bad friends and associates."

T^ '% ^'- P'lit ma mi. Fan horse tail.
"Flatter."

^ M, 1^ S : Tsip fung sai ch'an. Welcome
wind wash dust.

" Welcome a friend from a great distance by
inviting him to a feast."

^ "T* io J?lj : Chap shau wa pit. Hold hand

say 'Goodbye.'

" Friends clasp hands when saying 'Goodbye'."
It is not the custom in China either for friends

Friendship. 83

or strangers to take each others hand, but an
exception to the general rule is made in parting.
^ JiH. y|>0 ^ ; Kon tdm seiing kdu. Liver
gall mutual friendship.

" The most intimate friendship."

Kwan-tsz chi kau t'am ii shui siii-yan chi kau

t'im ii mat. Euler-son his friendship tasteless

as water small-man his friendship sweet as

honey.

" The superior man's friendship is as tasteless as

water, the mean man's friendship is as pleasant

as honey."

84

X.

FUNERALS.

^ ^^ ^ ^ ' Sz shi hid hi shan : Dead
corpse understand raise body. " A corpse can
rise np."

Superstition aflSrms that the dead body has
increased ability to perform this impossible feat,
if. the deceased happened to have been born be-
tween the 10th and 20th of the month.
j^ A ^ Jifg itil : Fuk yan tsong fuk ti :
" Happy rnen (are) buried (in) happy ground."

The idea embodied in these words is, that
heaven does not forsake after death, those upon
whom it has bestowed its favours during their life-
time, but provides for them a last resting place
where they may enjoy immunity from untoward
geomantic influences.

Pn ^ §JB : P'ui tsong dk. Accompany bury
bracelet. " The buried-with-the-corpse bracelet.' '

The Chinese believe, that after a lapse of ten
years red veins will appear in the jade ornament
thus interred, and that its value will be accord-
ingly increased.

Funerals. 85

tW 1>^ ^ = Kiin-ts'oi tsing. '• Coffin apparitions."
It is supposed that coffins, kept above ground as
they often are until some relatives return from a
distant province or from abroad, become the abode
of ghosts and phantoms.

^ 9^ • Hdu fiik. Mourning garment.
* " Mourning worn for parents."

W ^ i^ BJ : Mai shiii sai min. Buy water
wash face.

" Purchase water for washing the face oi the
dead."

The purchase is effected in this way : the
son goes to the brink of a river or stream,
throws in two cash, and then dips up a bowl
of water and carries it home. There, a cloth is
soaked in the water and passed over the body.
^'1 S ^ : Li shi ts'in. Profit this (affair)
cash. " A present of lucky cash."

A packet of cash is always given to those,
who attend a funeral, just as they are leaving the
cemetery, to ward off the unlucky influences as-
sociated with the ceremony.

* This includes the sack-cloth worn at the faneral and
the while, blue, and black outfits (the hat-button, queue-string,
shoes and coat are distinctive) which are worn auccessively
during three years, nine months being counted as one year.

86 Cantonese Apothegms.

^ ^ : Hoi 16. Open road. ,
1 " Prepare a way."
No matter at what hour a person may die, it
is customary, as soon as the breath is out of
the body, to send a messenger for the necroman-
cer (Ndm-Mo) to come and prepare a path for
the soul of the departed, that it may not be
forced to wander Up and down in the world
which separates this from heaven and hades :
{l^ ^ : Yam kdn). By iighting^candles, burn-
ing incense, and mumbling prayers the NAm-Mo
is supposed to successfully prepare a way to
paradise.

(b1 2^ : Ui wan. Return soul.

" The spirit's return."

Part of the duty of the necromancer in open-
ing a way for the soul is to ascertain what day
' and hoiir'the spirit will visit the home it has
left. Aftei" pretended cominuni cation with the
soul'the precise tiii^e is written on. paper and
handed to the relatives, who prepare for the
spirit a feast of things the deceased like best
while alive. During the visit the family remain
in bed, and the spirit is. supposed to touch them
all. , .

FUNERAXS. 87

This return of the soul is also known ^'S (|g| ^ :
Ui yeung :) " Return to the world."
j^ -t : Tso ts'at. Do seven. " Keep the
seventh day."

During the seven weeks which immediately fol-
low the death of a relative every seventh day
is observed as a special day. A feast is provided,
the necromancer calls, and during the ceremony-
performed by him the representatives of the fami-
ly kneel before the * ancestral tablet set up for
the deceased on the idol shrine.

The third seventh day is the most important,
for on that occasion all the relatives of the fami-
ly are supposed to be present. The cost of the
fifth seventh day, strange to relate, has, where
possible, to be defrayed by the women of the
household.

• Vide page 15.

88

XI.

(«CXX>oo

GAMBLING.

i^l^nm^^' T'Ai Wo Tung Wai

Sing shi.

" The T'di Wo Tung Wai Sing (lottery.) Poem."
Gamblers believe that the Tai Wo Tung fairy
writes in lime by means of a suspended bamboo
a piece of poetry which enables them to guess
the names of candidates who will be successful
at the examinations. The poem, consisting of

surnames, is printed on single sheets, and these

are sold for one cash each.

H :^ ^ if* tt — l^i^ : Miii mb Wai Sing
ch'au i ch'ii. Buy military Wai Sing collect two ,
tenths.

" In buying the military Wai Sing Lottery
tickets two tenths are collected."

Twenty per cent of all gains is retained by
the Wai Sing shop-keepers as profit.

^M^^W:'- Pai sz shi k'au piii. Worship
dead corpse seek ticket.

-' Seek a (lucky) lottery ticket by worship-
ping a" corpse."

Gambling. 89

This horrible custom is quite common in
Canton, and it is not infrequently observed in the
country.
^ "^ M- Clhii- yuk piii. Pig-flesh ticket;

" Pork tickets."

At the end of the Chinese year the people
indu'ge in gambling for pieces of pork for which
tickets are issued. Those who guess the weight
obtain the prize.

3^ ^ ^ ~fy : Tai shat sam fong. Great kill
three point. " Great wins on three sides."

The proprietors of Fantan houses write
these four characters on a slip of paper which
they paste on the wall as a good omen.

The game of Fantan which fascinates the
Chinese, and casts its spell over a certain class
of foreigners is very simple. A heap of cash is
2>laced in the centre of the table, and the gamesters
stake money on the number of cash which shall
remain after the cash have been removed by the
saloon-keeper in fours until the number left is ei-
ther four, three, two, or one. The gambler bets on

90 Cantonese Apothegms.

one number only, and hence the proprietor has
three chances to one. One would naturally have
imagined, that the prospects of the patron and
not of the proprietor would have been advertised.

^ ^ ^ Ml ^ • Pat t5 shi ying t'sin. Not
gamble is win money.

" Not to gamble is to win money."

^ -fa ^ ^ : Cham chi kai t5. Cut-ofF finger
refrain -from gamble.

" Chop off a finger in order to abstain from
gambling."

Resolutions made and vows taken are sometimes
sealed by removing part of a finger.

>jc W: '• K'au piu. Beg ticket.

" Pray to the idols for (lucky) lottery tic-
kets."

Such travesty of worship illustrates the strange
conceptions the Chinese have of their deities.
They evidently look upon them as beings either
possessing, or lacking moral attributes as suits
the worshipper's need and circumstances.

^1^ Mk ^ '• Shau tan tim piii. Longevity
birthday dot ticket.

Gambling. 91

" Mark a * Siu Wai Sing lottery ticket on your
birthday."

The day is considered auspicious, and the
inference is that the choice made is almost cer-
tain lo bring luck.

Wk'^^'3^ M '■ Ying fan-t an kan mi :
" The winner of Fantan stakes has followers."

Unfortunate gamblers watch fortunate indi-
viduals and follow them out of the room to beg
for a share of their gains.

^ 7^ ^ ;? ?i : To nai t5 chi iin. Gambling
is robbery its source.

" Gambling is the origin of theft."
R 4^ : Taungau. Fight buffalo. "Gamble."

This name, which literally means 'a buffalo
fight, ' is applied to the lowest form of gambling.
The proprietors of houses where gamblers meet
to Tail ngau allow their patrons to continue
playing after they have lost their cash and

* These tickets formerly known as Pdk-kop-iiiu have the
first 80 characters of the " Thousand Character Classic "
printed on them. Only ten may be marked by gamblers
though the number selected by tlie saloon-keepers for the
people to guess is 20. These tickets are issued twice daily.
Every one who guesses 5 or more of the 20 characters ob-
tains a prize of money.

92 Cantonese Apothegms.

the clothes they stand up in. Should the player
have a run of ill-luck and become the propri-
etor's debtor to the extent of several dollars, he is
bound and imprisoned in a separate room, which
is termed : ( 4^ ^ : Ngau kam) " Buffalo pri-
son." Once confiiied, the proprietors adopt rigor-
ous and cruel measures to extort from their
prisoner a request to forward a letter to his iriends
begging them to pay the amount of his debt and
so release him fi'om treatment which would end
in his death.

The laws of the present dynasty prohibit
gambling : but during the Boxer Year the Vice-
roy's coffftrs were so depleted and the demands
from the central government so extravagant, that
Li Hung Chang legalised the vice in order to
secure a large additional revenue.
^ Jj$ : TA p'di. Strike dominoes.

" Play dominoes."

This gambling game may be seen wherever
a number of men are collected together without
anything to do. On the streets, on wharves, and
on passage-boats, in shops, restaurants, and homes
men group themselves round a table, or a mat on
the floor, to try their fortune.

Gambling. 93

M Wi ■• Chdk shik. Throw-down dice.

" Play with dice."
li if4 ^ f# : Wai Sing tiik tak. Wai Sing
alone get.

" May you alone win the Wai Sing Lottery
stakes."

The middle and lower classes often add this
phrase in congratulating their friends at New
Year, and not infrequently the four characters
are written on a slip of paper and pasted up in the
shop or home, but in this case the words mean ;

" May J alone win the Wai Sing Lottery
stakes."

94

XII.

GEOMANCY.

frMi^^m^]^^^- T'a sau kau
ling yan hiii ch'ut t'in-tsz. Strike lean dog hill
because understands produce heaven-son.

" Shoot the Lean Dog Hill for it can produce
Emperors."

This hill outside the Great East Gate of Can-
ton, is cannonaded every year during the first
two weeks of the 11th moon. It is possible that
target practice gave rise to this popular belief,

M ic m m ^ A T It n m- F^g-

shui 16 nang p6 yan ting ts'oi kwai shau. f ung-
shui fellow able guarantee man sons, wealth,
honour, longevity.

" Georaancers are able to guarantee a man,
heirs, wealth, honour, and long life."

The geomancer is supposed to learn the secret
as to which burial ground will cause the des-
cendants of the family to flourish.

E^ ^ ^ £ ^ : Koi ming hop ng hang.
Change name agree Five Elements.

Geomancy. 95

" la giving names let them be in agreement
with the Five Elements," i. e. the Element absent
in the horoscope must enter into the name bestow-
ed as a radical. The astrologer is fee'd to indicate
which of * ^, >tv, 'ff.-, J^, i is missing.
^ l-U ^ = Ka shan fat. Family mountain
produce.

" The I'amily tombs cause (the descendants)
to flourish."

^*H*^^^ A^^: Chap kwat ts'in
tsong hau yan fat-tat. Pick-up bones move bury
after men flourish.

" If the bones of one's ancestors are taken up,
moved, and reburied, the descendants flourish."
This superstition, which is as firmly rooted as
it is general, accounts for the number of gold
pagodas, (as the jars containing the bones of the
dead are called) placed in niches on the hill side,
or under the banks which enclose a cultivated
area.

Geomancers ( M, JlK ^ ^ ) ^^^ P^^^ ^° ^^^^
their geomantic compass and point out a lucky
sput wlxereon or wherein to place the bones that
have been disinterred.

* Gold, wood, water, fire, earth. (Kam, muk, shui, fo, t'6).

96 Cantonese Apothegms.

— ■ ^ : Yat shin. One goodness.
" Single goodness."

Strips of paper with these two characters writ-
ten thereon are pasted over the front door to ward
off evil influences termed : (^ Wi) Shut Hi.
]PL il E i"^ : Ngk kai ngk p'au. " Earthen-
ware cock, Earthenware cannon."

These are placed on the roofs of houses and
prevent, it is thought, the approach of evil spirits,
[ll ffl ^ : Shdn t'in chili. Mountain field fall.

" Low burial ground."

Though in places necessity compels the Chi-
nese to inter their dead in low-lying ground, yet
it is considered very unlucky to do so.
Ji. TfC ^ iO ^1 4 11 : Fung-shui mi tsik ii-
ch'un Ian. Wind water end immediately foolish
lazy.

" As soon as the Fimg-shni {i.e. the geo-
niantic influences from the graves) comes to an
end, the descendants become ignorant and lazy."
IB. ^ %. • Tso kan fdt Ancestral root spring-up.

" Ancestral roots {i.e. existing members of a
family) flourish."

This is true, of course, only when the Fung-
shui is good.

Geomancy. 97

^ ^ ?^ W- '• Ndm sheung nil tan. Male even
female odd.

" A male is even, a female single or odd."
Man's constitntion partakes of the active prin-
ciple, (1^) Yeung, which is considei'ed double
oreven : whereas woman's nature is derived from
the passive principle, ((*j^) Yam, which is single
or odd. And hence in * choosing lucky days and
medicines this distinction is always carefully ob-
served.

* Vide page 4,

98

XIII.

IDOLS A SPIRITS.

)ii$ flU ^ : Shan sin fan. Spirit fairy powder.

" Fairj' powder."

More than ten years ago an epidemic raged
in Canton and Fatshan which carried off hundreds
of people, and for want of a scientific explanation,
it was believed that the fairies were guilty of poi-
soning the wells by dropping powder into them.

•^ 7 1 Mt ^^ : Tsip yan ts'oi shan. Receive
lead wealth god.

" Receive and entice the god of wealth."
These four characters are written on red slips
of paper which on New Year's Day are pasted on
the lintels of doors, and at the side or on the face
of shrines outside shops and private houses. Of
all the deities in the Chinese pantheon this god
has, perhaps, most votaries,
W ^i • Tsing lung. " Green dragon."

This is the designation of a snake kept by
some temple-keepers. It is worshipped by wo-
men on ly. They burn incense to it, and pray it to

Idols & Spirits. 9!»

keep the skin of their children as smooth and
glossy, and as free from boils, prickly- heat and
scrofula as its own.

1^ ± m ^ ^ m % m ^ m m- «an

t'6 ti iii hii cheung t'in sz ch'ii ling tap.

New To-ti need go Cheung-T'in-Sz place
get credentials.

" A new Earth God must first go to the abode
of Cheung T'in Sz and obtain credentials."

All houses and streets possess this idol, which
is most frquently reresented by a strip ot red
paper with the idol's name on it, and the term of
office is either one or three years. The shrine of
Cheung T'in Sz is in Lung-Fu-Shan in the
Kiang-Si province.

WW^ If^"^ M ^ M- Lui Shan shau
ch'i tsok keuk tap ku. Thunder spirit hand
hold chisel feet tread drum.

" The God of Thunder holds a chisel in his
hands and his feet tread on a drum."

ntt IS Jl :^ : She t'au ting t'in. She head

reaches heaven.

"The Grain God's head touches heaven."
This idol is never covered ; but is so placed

100 Cantonkse Apothegms.

that light falls directly upon it.

>^ Sj ^ : Ch'ong t'au p'o. " Bed-head

Grandmother."

This idol is worshipped when the child cries.
^ #ili ^ ^ : M6 sz k'a yik. Dance lion

expel plague.

"The dancing lion drives away plague."
Upon a recrudescence of this epidemic the
daiinng lion is in great request in Canton.
The beating of gongs and firing of crackers,
which form the accompaniment to the wonderful
jDerformances of this popular deity, evidently
impress the Chinese, who, unlike Westerners,
are notoriously fond of a noise, and the more
nearly the din resembles pandemonium the
greater the delight of the on-lookers. The
crackers are provided by the people living in the
streets through which the procession passes.

^ 16 # # : Kwai p'd chu-shl " Demons
fear Chu Sha."

Chii Sha is a kind of red ink used in writ-
ing charms.

ffi |l^ Ifi ^ ^ fl^ A : Ling shan nan d
shat shi yan.

Idols & Spirits. 101

Intelligent spirit haid protect lose time man.
•■ Intelligent (?".g, prayer answering) idols
find it difficult to protect unlucky men."

MM^li^^WLi^W- Kwong tung
nio shan kwan tsii tai k'iin. Kwang tung dance
spirit swindler very great power.

■■ Canton play-at-idol swindlers have the
greatest power."

These pseudo-temple-keepers pay men to
spread false rumours to the effect, that the
idols in their temples are (^) ^ing; ' intelligent,
prayer answering,' and when the public, ever
ready to credit the latest fabrication of the
fortune-hunter, hear of some wonderful idol, off
they go in flocks to pray for the * "five hap-
pinesses," or the happiness for which they
have, thus far, sought in vain. By this cunning
artifice the swindler does wield great power, for
he draws men and women miles from their
homes to the shrine of which he has charge,
which is situated outside some country village

* Tp, ra", 'W, ]j», ^^ : Son=, wealth, honour, emolu-
ment, longevity.

102 Cantonese Apothegms.

or far up the mountain side, onlj^ to enrich
himself at their expense ; since, believing in the
efficacy of worship at this celebrated temple
thej^ leave considerable sums with the temple-
keeper, that the temple lamp may not grow dim
for want of oil, and that the fragrant incense
may not cease to rise before the face of the
beneficent idol.

^ -^ ;1if ^ : Pat fan shan Kwai. Not divide
spirits demons.
" Spirits and demons cannot be distinguished."

JL f $ vfi : Sheung shan yau. Go-up spirit oil.

" Present idol, or spirit, oil."

The abbreviated phrase designates the custom
of the worshipper, who sometimes pays the temple-
keeper as much as $100 — to keep the temple light
burning as a thank-offering for recovery from
sickness. More often, however, the supplicants
in praying, promise large sums which, when the

clouds of trouble have passed, are entirely for-
gotten.

jji^ ,^ : Shan ma. " ( The) spirit horse."

A horse is gaily caparisoned, and left to walk

riderless in the procession, it being believed that

a spirit occupies the saddle.

Idols & Spieits. 103

^ JP^ ^|*|| ^"5" ^ : Fan shan p'a chuk ip.

" The irj'i table (or, easily provoked) spirit fears
bamboo leaves."

iK'^Wi^W}§,- Fo shiii ch'au tap shan
yan.

Fire burn libation answer spirit favour.
■' After a fire a libation of wine must be poured
out as a thank-offering for the favour shown by
the spirits," i. e., in that the calamity was not
greater. Even those involved in the loss t)cca-
sioned by the accident give their share.
jjil}l %t ^ ^ ^ : Shan kwai pat cheuk fu.
Spirits demons not wear lower-garments.

" Spirits and demons do not wear nether gar-
ments."

^ it f $ : P'o ts'oi shan. Split wealth spirit.

"Split the God of wealth."

Loss, by accident, robbery, or by failure to
obtain remittances expected, gives occasion for the
use of this irreverent phrase.

i ^ ^ >![C : T'o ti tsip shui. To-ti meet water.
" The Earth God meets water."
The meaning is that the paper representation of
the deity is placed on the side of the shop opposite

104 Cantonese Apothegms.

to which the drain water flows. This position
becures prosperity to the inmates of the house or
shop.

^ H ^ ^ ^ ^ : ^'o-sAt U hon nii shik.
Idols love look female beauty.

" Idols love to look upon women."
This remark has reference to the great numbers
of the fair sex, who go to temples to worship the
idols.

^ '\^ ^ fP '• K^wai p'a fu yan. Demons afraid
charms seals.

" Demons are afraid of charms and seals."

lij ilM ;A S;^ P II ® H : Ch'iuLintai
wong kam shing hiii min hung. Ch'iti Lin great
Emperor Ktim 8hing understands face I'ed. '
"The Tai Wong Kam Shing idol in Ch'iu
Lin blushes."

•W^X ip^ iif # ^ : Sii kong shan ho hon hi.

Sii kong idol loves look theatrical.

" The Sii-Kong idol loves to watch a the-
africal displa3\"

M W -b ^'J : F^n sban ts'at ch'at. Provoke
spirit seven pillai".

" There are seven deadly directions by pur-
suing which you provoke the spirits," These
are pointed out in the Almanac.

Idols & Spirits. 105

^ )1i$ I^ # ^ ^ f^ ^ : P^" shan ynk
heung pai kwai yuk ch'au. Worship spirits
meat fragrant worship demons meat unsavoury.
" Meat offered to idols is sweet-smelUng ; that
offered to devils is malodorous."

-^ ;S MlJ W ^ It M U ■■ Sun chi tsak yau
pat sun tsak mo. Believe them then have, not
believe then none.

" If you believe in * spirits then they exist ;
but if you do not then there are none."
^ # :?? 'IS S .^ g '^ : Kin kwai pat
kwai k'i kwAi tsz mit. See ghosts not ghosts
those ghosts naturally destroyed.

"If you look upon all apparitions as not
being such then they naturally disappear."

* This applies to all supernatural beings whether good or evil.

106

XIV

LAWSUITS.

^^^^U^^^W^M"^- Yuktsoicham-
pan sheuiig yam nei shi-wai. Meat (is) on chop-
ping-board above allow you administer do.

" He is at your mercy ( to the official ) you
can work j'our will."

pat yap kiin miin sz pat yap ti yuk. Living not
enter official door and dead not enter earth-
prison.

" While living do not enter a yamen and after
death do not enter Hades."

fmmWimJ¥^^M- Ta tak lihoi
t'au tsing t6 iii ying. Beat get excessively theft-
of well even must acknowledge.

" If a man is tortured excessively he will even
acknowledge that he has stolen a well."
^ iki^ i^ 'M' Kung ch'au pat kung tong.
Supply enemy not supply faction.

" Men will give up their enemies, but not
their friends."

Lawsuits. 1 07

Heads of villages are often charged to hand
over offenders to justice on penalty of having the
village destroyed.

^ o" ^ ffl H : T o ko pat t'o sham. Wishes
petition not wish judge.

" He wishes to make known his distress,
but not to have his case judged."

Often a plaintiff desires only that the official
should frighten his enemies.

~M^^^- ^^M- Yat shing ham kiu
hop nga fun. One noise crying calling whole
yamen rejoices.

" The noise of crying and calling makes the
whole yam^n rejoice."

In the cry, " Help ! " or, " Save life ! ' ' there is
money. From the lowest menial to the necklaced
gentleman of the red table each will get his
sijueeze.

— tarfSrWHitfrft-gj^: Yat shai tso
ki'in sam shai tso hat-i. One generation be of-
ficial three generations be beggars.

" If one generation of a family takes office the
next three will be beggars."

This is the popular view of what the magis-
trate's descendants ought to suffer for his sins of

108 Cantonese Apothegms.

extortion, injustice, and cruelty.

By nothing is the corrupt state of the Chinese
government more strongly and severely con-
demned than by the language of the country.
M^ d^ ^'^- Mo sz shiii tang t'ong. No
affair seldom ascend hall.

" If you've no case do not enter a yamen."
Once in the meshes of the law it is an easy
thing to lose everything one possesses and also
one's liberty, hence the sound advice.

hd 16 m lilt tin nga-mun 16 m chan ts'in. Country
fellow not contract mad yamen fellow not make
money.

" If the country folk did not develop insanity
{t.e, quarrel &c.) the yamen people would make
no money."

Seeing the net spread the people are still foolish
enough to run into it.

|r M M W W M- •■ Hung t'au shing tsok pin
sin. Red head string makes queue thread.

" Make a queue string of a piece of red string."

" To enter a yamen and have one's case tried

by the magistrate is both uncanny and unlucky,

and hence, a piece of red string is carried in teh

Lawsuits. 109

pocket, and -when a plaintiff or defendant leaves
the court he plaits the red string into the end of
liis queue to cut off the associations which might
entail disaster.

M.1 U^MM^^- Kin lii^ hung cheuk
wai tsau shat wan. See already red table curtain
then lose soul.

" Having caught sight of the red (judgment)
table with its curtain the prisoner straightway
faints."

The terror in which officials and Yamens are
held can only be appreciated by those who have
lived amongst the people and know how the power
of arrest, confiscation, torture and death may be
abused by those in whom it is vested.

Am^m ar^ Si li : Yap to 16 shing sam
tam hon. Enter at old city heart gall shiver.

" To enter into the old city makes a man trem-
ble from head to foot." Inside the old walled city
of Canton are all the important official residences
(Yamens) of the Kwangtung province."

it !^ ffi # fM. . K f# M : Kwat p'ong seung
ch'i ii yan tak li. Snipe oyster together clinging
fisherman get benefit.

110 Cantonese Apothegms.

" When snipe and oyster cling together in
fighting the fisherman obtains the benefit."

J^ ^ 1^ A ^ ^ fl : T5 pat shkt yan pat
kin hiit.

Knife brush (pen) kill man not see blood.

" When the knife pen writes out death sen-
tences (lit. kills men) no blood is seen."

It is easy to sign away men lives. Given a
strong man and the necessity, as we witnessed
during the Boxer Year in the case of Li Hung
Chang, there seems to be no hesitancy in ordering
seventy and eighty executions a day.

M 'M tin W ^ M iO M- Ts'iik kwo u sho
ping kwo ii pi. Robbers pass like comb soldiers
pass like small-comb."

" When robbers pass a place it is like comb-
ing the head with a large comb, but when soldiers
pass it is like using a small-toothed one."

In other words, robbers in private clothes
are preferable to those in uniform, since the latter
show no mercy, whereas the former do leave
something behind.

This is eloquent testimony to the soldiers of
China by the people themselves.

Ill

XV.

M ARRI AGE.

^

^ ^ ^ ^ [^ ^ : Ts'vi ts'ai pat ts'ii t'ung
sing. Marry Avife not marry same surname.

" In marrying a wife you may not marry a
lady of the same surname as yourself."

This rule, which is rigidly adhered to, is bas-
ed on the belief that all people of the same sur-
name, though separated by several provinces, are
descended from the same clan.

^ ^ @ ^ fli ^ : Ts'ii fii t'ai sz kii
lai fu. Marry woman suggest four phrases
propriety.

" At a marriage it is the rule to suggest four
phrases."

These lines are a trial to the bride, who is
fined if she cannot repeat them correctly after
one hearing. Instances, not infrequent, are re-
lated of brides being cruelly treated, because
they have refused to comply w(th this custom
when obscene rhymes have been suggested by
friends of the bridegroom.

112 Marriage.

kau ts'o ndi ho pan-sing. New bride sedan-
chair long sit is good temperament.

" If the bride sit in the chair a long time
(prior to her reception by the bridegroom) she
will be of a good temperament."
^ ^ .^ H : Ka-ts'ii k'i t'au. Marriage ride
head.

"Ride over the head in marriage."

This phrase is used of the younger brother
or sister marrying before the elder.
M. 7^ ^' Fan San fii. Tease new bride.

" Tease the bride."

The ordeal, which has already been referred to
as consisting in repeating any four phrases which
may be suggested, though not tvymg per se, often
causes pain when the guest's privilege is abused.
The room in which the bride is exposed to the
stare and jests of the bridegroom's friends is term-
ed:"NAuFong" ( ^8 ^ ) •

mUmWMM -^ *2lft '# : ^'ing ts'au
kid ts'it mok kwo fan lau kai. Meet relative sedan-
chair imperative not pass Divide Flow street.

Cantonese Apothegms. 113

" The chair sent to fetch the bride must ou
no account pass through Fan Lau street."

The allusion to anything inauspicious on the
eventful day must be studiously avoided, and hence
a street the name of which suggests separation is
tabooed.

±1S^M;^^A^^^: Sheung
t'au p'o ho ming san yan yik ho ming.

Above head grand-mother good decree new
man also good decree.

" If the woman who waits ou the bride (i.e.
dresses her hair the night previous to the mar-
riage) has a good decree (from heaven) then the
bride will also have a good decree."

KD ^ >^ '^ ^ ^ : Ying ts'an kwo fdi-tsz
kAi. Meet relative pass quick-son street.

"The wedding chair should pass through
Chopsticks' Street."

Seeing that the characters rendered correct! v,
" Chopsticks," may, taken literally, be translated
'quick son' the augury is obvious.
M y^ ^M' Ut lo wai miii. Moon old
man is match-maker.

* " The old man in the moon is the match-maker."
"* Vide chapter on "Superstitious Beliefs."

114

XVI

MEDICINE.

mm.m'ii \^ >^ ^ in il : Yeuk cM
p'ut ch'ut kai sam ping tsik ii. Medicine dregs
throw out street heart sickness immediately cured.
" If the dregs which remain after boiling a
decoction of medicine be thrown into the middle
of the street the sickness is soon cured."

:^ ^ :5t ^ BS gl ^ : Tai kill sin-shang
miik li ming. Great sedan-chair * First-born
pulse principles understand.

" The doctor, who keeps his carriage, under-
stands the principles of the pulse."

With the Chinese, as with other nations, pop-
ularity is regarded as an infallible sign of merit.
And as each vital organ is supposed to have its
pulse, to know the pulse is to be able to diagnose
almost any disease to which the human body is
liable.

* The title given to teachers and representatives of the
literary class generally.

Medicine. 115

^^ ^ '1^ M ^ • Fo ch'eung chuk chiii tau.
Examination area candle shine-upon smallpox.

" Let the light of a candle taken from the Ex-
amination Hall shine on a smallpox patient."
Tradition affirms that cures have been effected in
this Avay.

■jb ^ : Fong mak. Points pulse.
" The various pulses."

^ IS • ^^^T^ yiiig- Ten-thousand answer.
" A cure for all ills."

No Chinese drug store is without preparations
which are guaranteed as infallible remedies for
every form of disease.

^ ^ ^i :^ : Sam yung p6 shan. Sam yung
nourish body.

" Sam and Yung are tonics."

Sam is Chinese ginseng, and Yiing'is, scraped
deer-horn."

M.^ ^ M ■ Fling jDat lok ho. Leprosy not
go-down river.

" Grisettes cannot take leprosy."
7^ !^ f I i- ^ : Yeung in nang hii ping.
Ocean tobacco able remove sickness.

" Opium cures diseases."

116 Cantonese Apothegms.

Opium is also supposed to lengthen a man's
life. Now iind again the people have accidently
discovered the uses of the drug, and hence ascribe
to it all kinds of imaginary powers.

M ^^MM Hi^'M' Shik tsai yau pau
m5 to t'ung. Eat sacrifice purgatory cakes no
stomach ache.

" If you eat cakes offered in sacrifice to hades
you do not suffer from stomach-ache."

:^ f- f^ ^ IS hII^ f(fc * : Kwai tsz 15
mo t'au nang kun t'a hii. Kidnap child fellow
rub head able follow him go.

" A kidnapper by rubbing a child's head can
make the child follow him."

The medicine rubbed in makes the child think
there is water on either side and a tiger behind.
There is certainly neither lack of imagination nor
of credulity in this graphic explanation,

^B ^ i( !^. ^ si iBl : U pat ii un ngan

sung ui. If not cured origin silver present back,

" If you are not cured I will return the fee."

Native doctors make such promises but

seldom keep tlirni.

Medicine. 117

^ ^ : Pau i. "Guarantee (a) cure."

Tlie Chinese, who love bargaining, carry this
practice into every branch of h'fe.

# '/o S^ J^ : Fii chi fat-ldng. Charms reg-
ulate produce-cold.

" Charms cure ague."

Charms used by the people in the South are
largely written. There is one man who is cele-
brated as an ague doctor in Canton. He inform-
ed me that his prescription has not failed once.
He writes a charm on paper according to the
age of the patient, and wraps in it a piece
of ginger and gives it to him to carry in his
coat pocket.

H M^^Ml^ ±- tit t'au t^Ik eh'ung
t'au heung sheimg. Month head \\-(irm-iiisccts
Lead point upwards.

" During the first half of the month the worms'
licads point ujowards."

M ^^ J %\\MW ■ F''n. ch'inig hii li.i
tr-sak mo wai. Rice insects go already then no
appetite.

" When the rice worms are gom then a per-
son has no appetite."

118 Cantonese Apothegms.

?i ^ ^: Siii cli'ong. fii. Reduce. ■ bo.ils

charms.

" The charm that reduces swellings."

The charm, which consists of mysterious

figures or characters written on paper, is burnt,

and then the ashes are drunk in tea.

^ i!E M M, : Tang ak chui fung. Rattan
bracelet drive wind.

" Rattan bracelets expel rheumatism."

^ Si ■TJ' fS ^ : Td tsiii nai chung tau. Ta
Tsiu then plant lymph

" Vaccinate after a Td TsiuT
^ JJH P : Yan ngA pang hau. Because
teeth crack mouth.

" Harelip is caused by (projecting) teeth."

^ ^ ^ : Chuk ngd ch'ung. Catch teeth
insects.

" Extract teeth worms."

Tooth-aclie is believed to be caused either
by wind, /ire, or worms in the teeth.
^i MVC^- Shuk in fA t'am. Cured tobacco
dissolves phlegm.

" TobacGo breaks up phlegm."

Medicine. 119

^ ^ jftH ^ = Lung cbau sung ch'ong.
Dragon boat escorts boil.

" Dragon boats carry off boils."

A piece of paper is rubbed over the swelling,
and then placed on the toy dragon boat, which
is placed on the river and allowed to sail away.
From that time the patient begins to recover.

J5& ^ ^ it M ^ : K'a-Nam chii chi shi
kap. K'e Ndm beads stop faeces urgency.
" K'e-Ndra beads stop diarrhoea."
K'e-Nam is a fragrant wood, and the wearing
of a string of beads made from it, is very common.

^^MT^'^MW^- Hop nin k'i ndi
ho chung yeung tau. Agree year time then may
plant Ocean (Western) smallpox-lymph.

" Vaccination must be performed at the proper
season."

This has reference both to the age of the per-
son and the time of the year.
f '] ^ ^n ^ H ^ : Kot kii wo yeuk tsz ts'an.

Cut thigh mix medicine give-to-eat parents.

" Cut (flesh from) the thigh, mix it with
medicine, and give it to one's parents to eat."

120 Cantonese Apothegms.

That this self-sacrificing act has been perform-
ed has been verified in mission hospitals. The
people believe in the eflficacy of human flesh when
other remedies fail.

'^ M ■ Pau Lit. " Guarantee (for one) month."
As the people consider the first month of a
child's life the most dangerous, doctors make
money by undertaking to see that the child lives
through that period.

^ P ;^ ^ ^ : Fii hau shi leiing yeuk.
Bitter mouth is good medicine.

" Medicine, that is bitter to the taste, is good."
Another way of putting this is : M ^ "S^ P 5^lj
^ ^ : Leung yeuk fu hau li ii ping. Good
medicine bitter mouth benefit in sickness.

" Good medicine is bitter to the taste, but it
cures the disease."

ffi ^ ^ H M : Sai yeuk ho pa to. Western

medicine very tyrannical way.

" Western medicine is a terror."

Its good or ill effects are lelt at once.

121
XVII.

MILITARY.

^^m^% ^m z -x^m a mm z-

Ping che hung hi t'in to li chi pat tak i i ynng
chi. Munitions-of-war those murderous weapons
heavenly doctrine hates them not able stop so
use them.

" The doctrines (revealed from) heaven hate
the murderous munitions of war, and they are
only used by reason of necessity."
The Chinese are preminently a peace-loving peo-
ple.

^i^-k^^^^WiW K- Ningtsok
t'ai-ping hiin mat wai liin shai yan. Prefer be
peace dog do-not be insurrection world man.

" To be a dog in times of peace is preferable
to being a man during periods of rebellion."

^ ^ •$ 5S : Shing tung kik sai, Sound
East attack West.

" Arouse the East and attack the West."

122 Cantonese Apothegms.

^ W ^ ^ = Fuk piii shau tik. Stomach
back receive enemy.

" Caught between enemies ahead and enemies
in the rear."

ho i kai p'o nan yung ping ts'iit ya. I enemies
may with trick spUt difficult use soldiers expel.

" Barbariati enemies may be dispersed by
tricks, but it is difficult to drive them out by force
of arms."

, A ^ ^ # it^^ ^ 1^ # : Tai ping chi hau
pit yau hung nin. Great soldiers its afterwards,
certainly have empty year.
" After a great war there is sure to be a famine."

iili ^ 03 ^ : Sz hi yan ki. " Troops are-
raised because (oi) famine."

The reason is that famine is often the precursor

of rebellion.

j5t /^ ^ illl : Lap . shi chi ti. Stand corpse
its ground.

" The battle-field." "A dangerous post."
W # ^ 7J : Ki shan fung t6. Send body
point knife.

Military. 123

" Charge the enemy at the point of the bayonet."

— '^ ^ ^^'^ ^' Yat tseung kung shing
man kwat fti. One general merit complete ten-
thousand bone decay.

" By the time an officer rises to the rank of
'general' ten thousand soldiers have fallen in battle."

Nan i tong sz keung ch'eung i rati kak kwo shi
wan tsong i. ]\Iale boys ought die border area
use horse harness wrap corpse return bury only.
" Men should fight to the death on the battle
field, and allow their bodies to be brought back
for burial wrapped in the trappings of their horses."

^ZWiW,- ^g Chi king tik. Self (I) its
strong enemy.

" My well-matched enemy."
^ ^ifi : Kwan sz. Regiment officer.
"Chief-of- Staff."
In colloquial this title is used derisively of those
who always find fault with the details of everything.

^mm^'J^^^^_^^: .Yau to ts'ak
hing pit yau kon kwo chi. Have pirates robbers
flourish certainly shield spear come.

" Wherever robbers and pirates rise thither
soldiers will go."

'•' Vide page 110.

124

XVIII.

OMENS.

# M II Pf J^ ml H If M : Ch'oMng
kai t'ai fo i kang kai t'ai ts'ak. First watch
cock crow fire, second watch cock crow thieves.

" If the cock crow during the first watch of
the niojht there Avill be a fire, and if durino^ the
second there will be a robbery."
BR 7^ ©^ -^ A ^ : Ngan mi t'iii yau yan
kong Eye brow dance have man speak.

" Unconsious blinking is caused by someone
speaking about 3'ou."

This is similar to the English superstition that
for the same reason one's ears burn. The Chi-
nese, however, remark that the tingling sensa-
tion, called "burning," is a sign that it will be
warm the next day.

JS W • T'ung shing. Intercommunicate victory
"Almanac."

The proper name of the Chinese Almanac is
T'lang Shii (intercommunicate book) but as the
word for book has precisely the same sound and

Omens. 125

tone as the character meaning "loss" or "defeat"
another is substituted, because the use of the
word is unlucky, and especiallj^ is it inauspicious
at the commencement of the year, when al-
manacs are purchased.

?M ^ •¥- W ^ i^ • T'ung-Shii tso niai wai
miu. Almanac early purchase is excellent.
" It is best to purchase an almanac early."

?ij ^^ l-^I • -^ ming hung. Crow call in-
auspicious.

" The crow's call is inauspicious."
bI R^ o' : Sek niing kat. Magpie call aus-
picious.

" The magpie's call is auspicious."
A ^ B lM ^ • Yan kong ki p'an-t'ai.

Man speak self sneeze.
" When a person sjDeaks of one's self one
sneezes," or, " Whenever people talk about you,
you sneeze"

^ ^ ^ ^ "ft • Shau chi hoi wai kwai.
Hand finger open is honour.

"If the fingers (of a newly born child) are
open the child will be exalted."

0^i$M^- Tsin ngan tsok li shi. Cash
silver considered benefit this (affair).

126 Cantonese Apothegms.

" Presents of cash and silver are considered
lucky."

The money is always wrapped in red paper.
^ /\ ^ ^ ^Ij : Yun pat lit pat li. Intercal-
ary eight month not lucky.
" The intercalary eighth month is inauspicious."
The solar year having been miscalculated by Chi-
nese astronomers, they have recourse to an extra
nionth once in three years to correct the error.
The cycle of time in China is sixty years, and, not
as with us, a century. As regards the saying
quoted, it has proved only too true as a matter of
history.

During the early part of 1900, before there
were any definite signs of trouble, the Chinese
frequently remarked that as there was an inter-
calary eighth month some dread calamity might
be expected.

127

XIX.
PROVERBS.

wl^'lffiA^^'S^: Mau sz tsoi yan
shing sz tsoi t'in. Plan affairs rests-with num,
complete affairs rests-with heaven.
" Man proposes, but God disposes."

W M>^ i^^- Fong wdn it mi mang.
Prepare calamity while not-yet bud.

" Prepare for trouble ere it come upon you."

^y^M^My^ ® ^: Shang pat kii
wan sz pat kii shi. Living not regard soul
dead not regard corpse.

" While living care not for the soul, and af-
ter death care not for the body."

/J"* tjt ^ T^ ^ ^ ■ Siu cheuug shau tai
cheung tsau. Little rod receive big rod run.

" Receive chastisement when light, but if it
threatens to be severe run away."

This is a filial sajang, since the child's fear

128 Cantonese Apothegms.

is that the parent might administer punishment
which, ending fatallj', would entail everlasting
regret.

M 7K ift ^^ : Fiik shui nan shau. Overturned
water difficult gather-up.

" Don't cry over spilled milk."

— t&^^—UkXM' Yat po mi ping

5fat po yau hi. One wave not-yet smooth one
wave again rises.

" It never rains but it pours."

— \ M^ ^S. ^ \ Mj'M ■ Yat yan kin tiin i
yan kin ch'eung. One man see short two men

see long.

" Two heads are better than one."

7^ i^M^a M- 1'^'™ ti keung m lat. Ori-
ginal place ginger not pungent, ".A prophet is
not without honour save in his own country."
fS ^ IP. fr : Wo pat tan hAng. Calamities
not single walk.

" Misfortunes never come singly."

^ ""^ ^ ^ : Ning fu pat sz. Prefer bitter
not die.

"Better suffer than die."

Pboverbs. 129

B$ ^ I? ^ : Shi pat tsoi loi. Time not
again come.

" Lost opportunities never return."

T'in yau pat ch'ak chi fung wan yan yau sliap
shi chi wo fi'ik. Heaven has not guess its winds
clouds, man Las sudden time its calamity hap-
piness.

" Man's fortune changes as suddenly as the
weather."

i^ "^ M. ^ '• Tsok she tbjp'ong. Make house
road side.

" Build a house by the road-side."
The meaning is that, on account of the to-
tally different adAdce given by those who pass
by, the house is never completed. The English
equivalent is: " Too many cooks spoil the broth."

130

XX

SLAVERY.

H ^ "^ ^i^ : Leung tsin wai fan. Citizen
bondman make marriage.

" Marriage between a citizen and a slave."

This is forbidden by law.
H IM: ^ f^ 1^ ^ # ^' : Siim shai pat tso
kiin pat hd,u-shi. Three generation not be official
not take-examination. Freedmen can neither
take office nor sit for an examination till three
generations are passed.

^ f? T : Miii tsai ting. Sister little tiny.
" A slave girl." Also known as : ^ fj*.

There are thousands of these girls in Canton.
Wealthy families buy several, but always marry
them to suitable persons when they become of
age.

Slavery. 131

The treatment these slave girls receive is

sometimes so harsh and cruel as to lead to

suicide ; but, as a whole, their lot is not nearly so

hard as one is apt to imagine.

^ 4 ^ : Ka shang t'ai. Family born child.

" A child born in the family."

A boy purchased as a slave is thus designated.

^ A- !^ "F* ■• Ka yan fu tsz. Family man
father son. " A slave is like one of the family."

During the present dynasty the practice of
keeping male slaves has almost died out.

In this Kwangtung province, the San Ning
district stands alone as being famous for the num-
ber of male slaves that have been bondmen for
many generations.

132

XXI,

SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEF'S.

-h 5^ ^ ^ : Sheung t'in hok fdt. Ascend
heaven learn method.
" You must ascend to heaven to learn to fight."
The ascension takes place by the hypnotic pro-
cess. The Boxers were hypnotised during 1900,
and when they awoke from the hypnotic sleep,
believed themselves to be impervious to shells and
bullets. Not long since the writer was informed,
that hypnotism guarantees victory for a single
day ; but that after that the effect is lost, and
hence the utter rout of the Boxer troops by the
Allied Forces.
i^ ^ : Ching ting. Made certain.

" It was so decreed."
To every unenlightened Chinaman this doctrine
of fatalism is the final and sufficient explanation
of all the fortunes and misfortunes that overtake
individuals and nations.

Superstitious Beliefs. 1^3

^ilb^: P'otiyuk. Split earth-prison.

* " Open hell."

Every necromancer is believed to possess the
power to save men from the punishments inflict-
ed on the souls of the departed in the lower re-
gious. Hence a wizard is almost invariably called
in after a death in the family to work his miracle.

^ M B ^ '^ "m '• ^in lit yat shi tso ming.
Year, month, day, hour make decree.

" A year, a month, a day, and an hour form a
decree."

In the child's horoscope astrologers presume
to read heaven's will concerning the child's future.

dii^W:^ZA^^^- Nai-shui ts6-rauk
chi yan hiii ching kwai. Earth-water make-wood
their men understand make devils.

" Builders and carpenters know how to make
devils."

It is believed that they make them and leave
them inside the houses they erect, and that the
occupants are afterwards injured in consequence.

*Vide page 86.

134 Cantonese Apothegms.

^ A is ^M tfi : Ping yan nan kwo tsit. Sick
man difficult pass festival.

" Sick people seldom survive a calendarial
festival."

This kind of belief is not peculiar to the East.
How often has it been prognosticated that the
soul would slip away at the turn of the tide, at
dawn, or at the change of the season.
^ ;H>| "^ IR, ^ : Yam chau shai chi ts'in.

" (At) Yam Chau (they) use paper money."

Yam Chau is supposed to be not far from
Sheol, and this paper currency burned for the
use of the spirits has eyes printed upon it.
^ W ^ • Tsiii shii tsing. " (The) banana
tree (is) subtle."

The belief is that in time the tree is me-
tamorphosed into different apparitions, for ex-
ample, the ghosts of men and women.

The transformation occurs after a period of
three years, hence the custom of cutting down
these trees every three years,
iffl 1^^ itf H TJr ^ |g: Ch'au shan iii ho yat
ntii wok fuk. Thank idols need good day then
get blessing.
" When thank-offering libations are presented

Superstitious Beliefs. 135

to the idols a lucky day must be chosen in or-
der to obtain a blessing."

1^ -^ ^ i^ bI : Lun ming pat lun nang.
Question decree not question ability."

" Everything is a matter of heaven's decree,
and not of man's ability."

P ^ ^ # Pj^ ^ : Shan-T'6 Wat-Liii felm
kwai. " Shan-T'6 Wat-Liii eat demons."

These two idols are deified exorcists, and at
New Year their names are posted on the doors
of houses occupied by the well-to-do.

^A/S M 73r m ^: Fii-yan pdu keuk
nai ming li. Women wrap feet then under-
stand principles.

" Small-footed women are intelligent."
Herein we discover another incentive-an
appeal to pride-to submit to the cruel practice.
^ W $^ : Pat in kon. Not speak dry.

"Do not use the word kon (dry)." An empty
purse is said to be 'dr}-,' and hence to use the
word is unlucky.

Mm mj^mm.^^^if:^: kwo

. Ts'ing-Ming sai t'au tsb iii yam ch'a tsai shui.

136 Cantonese AroTBi^GMs.

Pass Ts'ing Ming wash head aacastors must
drink tea little water.

" If the head be washed (within one month)
after Ts'ing Ming the person's ancestors have
to drink the soapy (ch'a tsai) water."

As no Chinaman would think of thus in-
sulting his progenitors the rale of waiting one
month after the worship of the graves is strictly
adhered to in common practice.

^ lUP il '/i^ if[ M. : Yeung lau nang chi
ngoi kwai. Spreading willow able regulate out-
side demons.

" The weeping willow has power to sup-
press demons unconnected with the family."

Branches of this tree are fastened to the
doorways of houses and to the stern or coverings
of boats on Ts'mg Ming-the spring festival when
the graves of ancestors are worshipped. There
is so.-ne virtue in the branches, which has a
preventive influence on rambling devils, that
might desire to enter and wreck the health and
happiness of the home.

The practice is so comixiDn, that it cannot
have escapad the notice of any foreigner re-
sident in Canton.

Superstitious Beliefs. 137

^ WE K ■ ^^^ lung fan. One-horned dragon

turn.

" The one-horned dragon turns."

This movement furnishes the explanation of

the phenomenon termed : ' earthquake.'

A # ^ ^ : Pat kwii p'ik ts'e. Eight dia-
grams ward-off evil.

" The eight diagrams (combinations of long
and short lines) ^va^d off injurious influences."

Boards with the eight diagrams engraved
thereon are nailed over doorways.

^ iHi 1^ ^ W nn : Shik she yuk hiu in ii.
Eat She meat understands words phrases,

" If they eat of the She meat they will be able
to speak."

This is spoken of the common bird known by
the name, Liii Ko.

The ' She meat ' refers to the offerings pre-
sented to the spirits of the Earth in the spri iig
and autumn. The altars being erected on open
spaces by the road-side, there is nothing to pre-
vent these ubiquitous creatures partaking of the
food of the gods.

138 Cantonkse Apothegms.

mmm A n ^ m ^ m m m a-

T'ung ngan shai yap miin shai ui hit tsak mo siin
yaii. Brass money use enter door use back go
so no injure man.

" To pay out bad nione}' that }'ou have received
does no harm."

i^ ^ ^ '^ ■ Man shing yat ye man. Mos-
quito noise day night mosquitoes.

" With reference to the sound made by mos-
quitoes there are day and night mosquitoes."

It is said that the night mosquitoes sing, and

that they bite more ferociously than those of the
day.

M\ Mf^^^M^- P'o mi tsim id on ko
ling. Shop end pointed must place hill.

" If the back of the shop is narrow a mound
must be built up."

A shop, the back of which is very narrow, is
termed a Fu-tau shop, t.e. water-scoop shop. The
water-scoop referred to, is that used by natives in
throwing up water from ditches and streams into
their rice fields. It has a tapering mouth, and
the ajiplication of the name to the shop means
that the tapering end of the shop scoops out
its wealth into the adjoining yard.

Superstitious Beliefs. 139

A sloping mound of earth is piled up, and an idol
placed thereon to counteract the " scooping out "
tendency and thus save the business from being
ruined by the unlucky shape of the place in
which it is carried on.

S ^ # ^ : Pf'ik ngai shik ngan. "White
ants eat silver."

When a Westerner has met these pests suf-
ficiently frequently to appreciate their destructive
powers, he begins to think there may be some-
thing in the phrase ; but of this he is certain,
that, though the saying may not be true literally,
it is metaphoricall}-.
@ I^L • T'ai ki. Suggest oracle.

" Fairies reveal things by planchette."
The most common form of planchette is a tray
of lime over which is suspended a pencil fastened
to the arm of a lever free to move in either direc-
tion as the fairy may direct in writing the desired
revelation of the future.

H^ ^ M ^ ^ ^- ^^ang chi kwo hii mi loi.
Able know iiast gone, not-yet come.
" Knows the past and the future."
This is said of fortune-tellers and phrenologists.

140 Cantonese Apothegms.

^ ^ ^ : Fe loi tsz. Flew came monastery.
" The monastery that flew hither."
This building, that many people really think

flew from Ts'ing Uii, is situated near the Little

North Gate of Canton city.

>^ ^ J^ ^ • tit 16 wai mi'ii. Moon old-man
is match-maker.

'' The old man in the moon is the match-
maker."

He, it is said, once came down to Earth having
a large bundle of red string under his arm.
Some one met him, and asked him what he want-
ed with so much red string. He replied : " To
tie together the feet of boys and girls in pairs
as they are born. When they grow up they
come together."

^a.^:^' Sat tau shing ping. "(You) plant
beans, (and they) become soldiers."

^ Jp M, M ^ A : Kw'ai shin fung p'lit
wan yan. Palm fan wind fans faint man.

" The breeze stirred by a palm-leaf Ian makes
a man giddy."

141
XXII.

TERMINOLOGY.

^

^ -^ 'Cl^ J3^ : T'it shek sam ch'eung. Iron
I'ock heart intestines.

'■ A heart of iron and bowels of rock."
Z' fe ^ ^ : Shi wai so ts'an.
" (A) corpse (in) office eating meals." A drone.
$R M >^ ;!fC : U ii shat shni. Like fish lose
water.

" Like a fish out of water."
^ ^ )W'- Lok ts'o keuk. Put-down wrong
foot. " Missed his calling."

^ ^ ^^ ^ •' Kai fe kau tsau. Chickens fly
dogs run. " A terrible iipheaval."

^ ^ ¥ ^ -^ :^ ^ : Pat shik yeung-yuk
yat shan s6. Not eat sheep flesh whole body
smells.

The Chinese consider that mutton has a
peculiar odour, and therefore the phrase rendered
in English is :

142 Cantonese Apothegms.

" Although a man may not participate in a
wrong transaction with his friends, yet the odium
of the deed rests upon him."
^ ^^ — • ^ i^ : Ye tak yat shan ngai. Bring-
on get whole body ants.

" Get one's self into difficulties."
^ P ^M' ^^'J : Hoi hau k'ap-cheuk li. Open
mouth bites tongue.

" He never opens his mouth but he f-uajis at
you."

jplj) '1*^ M. )P : Shan tsang k\vai im. Spirits
hate demons weary-of.

" A well-hated fellow ; " or, " Generally detested."
^ pf? ^ ^j : Fuk chung yau kim. Stomach
middle have sword. " A. dangerous man."

^ ^3. ■^ Wi '• Sau tiin yau sho. Long-life
premature- death have numbers." " A man's
days are numbered."

*M ^ ^ ^ '■ Fu kwaitsoi t'in. Riches honour
rest- with heaven,

" Wealth and honour are the gift of heaven."

tJ* ^ ^ — ■ ^ ^ lH : Shau ts'in 16 yat
man pat ch'ut. Keep mone)' captive one cash not
put-out. "A miser."

Terminology. 143

Y@ ^ 1^ ^ : Tsau uoiig fan toi. Wine bag
rice sack, " A good-for-nothing fellow."
3S ^ "Ot ^; Yuk sliek k'ii fan. Jade-stone
rock all burned.

" The innocent suffer with the guilty."

The good and the bad are lost together.

The reference is to political upheavals, in-
surrections, and civil wars.
^ ^ 'W -^ ■ '^^^^o inuk ktii ping. Grass
tree all soldiers.

" He thinks the grasses and trees are all
soldiers." He starts at his ownshadow.
;QX B9 ^ ~F : Kwa t'in li ha. Cucumber
field plum-tree beneath.

" Do not touch 3'our shoes in a cucumber
field, nor your hat beneath the plum-trees."

Avoid the appearance of evil.
M, '^ ^ • Fungmangau. Wind horse buffalo

" Diametrically' opposed."

The horse is supposed to run with and the
buffalo against the wind.

^5 ffl ^ ffl : Shek t'in m.'. yung. Stone field
110 use. " As useless as a stony field."

144 Cantonese Apothegms.

59 ^ ^ "^-i Man to ii mang.: Ask way -of
blind. " Seek information at the wrong source."
iSE PI f^ ^ : Pan-mun lung fu. Carpenter
door play-with axe. " Betray one's ignorance be-
fore an expert."

^ -^ "^ ^ : Mi tai pat chau. Tail big not
row. " His tail is so big he cannot wag iti"
" An unmanageable ministry or retinue."

^^ J^ /^ f S • l^au mi tsnk tiii. Dog tail
continue sable.

" Patch sable with dog's tail."
M ii tr ^-^ ^ : Fung-kau ta pat t'iit.

Typhoon strike not off.

" A typhoon could not blow it away."
Trials, difficulties, and troubles that cannot be
escaped are thus described.

The phrase applies also to inseparable friends
and habits contracted.

— BM.W-'^- Yat t'au mo shui. Whole (one)
head mist water.

" Altogether befogged."

^ ^ ^ i%- Fan t'in hak ti. Twilight sky
black earth. " Utter-ly bewildered."

Terminology. 145

^ ^ ^ ^ : Chiu sam m5' sz. Morning
three evening four. " Never alike two days to-
gether."

|§ ^ "f* ^ : Lok tsing ha shek. Go-down
well let-down stone.

" When a man is down keep him down."

^ ^ ift # ^ 'fSf ^ : Man-cheung shut tak
pat tso tak. Composition-chapter talk can not
do can.

" He can talk an essay, but cannot Avrite one."
This is said of men who cannot practice what
they preach, and of those who cannot carry out
their brilliant schemes.

^ P : Kai hau. Refrain-from mouth.

" An abstemious mouth."

Said of a person who eats not what is in-
jurious, and who abstains from speaking evil.

^ ffl ^ ^ : T'so t'in shik chak. Sit field

eat house.

" He sits in his fields and eats his house."
Allowing for the inversion, this graphic

sentence exactly hits off the gentleman farmer

in China.

146 Cantonese Apothegms.

f^ /© f^ ^ : Toi p'au toi pan. In-behalf-
of cook in-behalf-of manage.

" Act as locum tenens^
^ ^ ^ 5^ ; T'so tsing kun t'in. Sit-in (a),
well look sky.

" A narrow outlook."
^ 7^ ^ "^ ; Ping yap ko-fong. Sickness
entered heart-region. "A hopeless case."

•# ffi © t£ : T'o min tsz kon. Spit face
self dry.

" If you spat on his face he would not wipe it."

An excellent tempered man.

^J r^ ^ ^ : Kwat yuk i cli'ong. Cut flesh
heal ulcer.

" Cut out flesh to heal an ulcer."

This, with the Chinese, means a fruitless
undertaking, since in the absence of antiseptic
surgery each piece of flesh removed would leave
an ugly wound needing the same treatment.
^f □ : Lung hau. Dragon mouth.

" The dragon's mouth."

If the geomantic influences of a cemetery
are good, that is, cause the descendants of

Terminology. 147

those interred therein to flourish, then that
burial ground is honoured by the above design-
ation.

^ P ^ '^ : Kam hau chi in. Gold mouth
its words.

"Golden mouth words."
This phrase, like ^ *^ ^ ^, is applied to
sound advice, solid instruction.

4^" 4* <^ @> • Fii chung yau it. Pan middle

swim fish.

" A fish swimming in the frying-pan."
He is on his last legs. It is his last fling.

S * ^- Lingp'6-sAt. " (A) prayer-answer-
ing idol."

^ ^ ^ ffl ^ >S ^"ib : Ying-hung mo yung
mb chi ti. Hero no use military-genius its place.
" A genius without opportunities to display
his powers."

M^^ 7) '• Sid li ts'ong to. Smile inside
hides knife.

" His smile hides a dagger,"

* Shek : rock.

148

XXIII.

_=:>_-.

WEATHER (ELEMENTS).

® ^ ^ A. : Liii p'ek 8z yan. Thunder
stfikes dead men.

" Thunder strikes men dead."
Tlie popular belief is that it is the thunder,
and not the lightning, which kills those whom
it strikes.

Wl ^ *^ : Lung hi kwo. Dragon breath
passes. " The dragon's breath is passing."

Dragons are responsible for gales, typhoons,
and cyclones either by snorting or by wagging
their tails, and hence the Chinese saying is
equivalent to the EngHsh : "It is blowing a
gale."

PS "i^ si Jt 5fC : U hai lung sheung shiii.
Rain is dragon ascend water.

" Rain is water that the dragon has raised."
In the absence of scientific knowledge the ac-
tion of the sun is attributed to a fabulous
creature.

Weather (Elements.) 149

•tS J^ bI • Kwat mi lung. "(TLe) blunt-tailed
dragon."

Whenever this mythical creature appears
there are sure to be storms.

f ll* ^ H^ ■• Shan tan ii. Idol birthday rain.
" It rains on idols' birthdays."

^ hI n^ j^ W i^ fS ■• Fan lung ii ch'ii j^au
ch'ii mo. Divide dragons rain place have place
have-not.

" When the dragons separate it rains in this
place and not in that."

(^ S ^ -t : Tsam sam hon ts'at. Flood
three drought seven.

" If it's not a flood it's a drought."

Rendered more literally this phrase would
be:

" We either have floods for three years or
drought for seven."

^'E ±i^^^m - '^ B-- U shap
T'6-ti i ill shai yat pak yat. Rain wet Earth-
god clothes need dry one hundred days.

"If the (paper) raiment of the Earth god

150 Cantonese Apothegms.

is made damp by rain then it will take a hun-
dred days to dry it." This means that if it
should rain on the 2nd of the 2nd moon, when
the Earth god's garments are placed on the
idol, which is always without cover, then the
rainy season will last a long time

^ 1^ ^ -^ 0^ : Ch'un hon pat yap yuk.
Spring cold not enter flesh.

" The cold in Spring does not pierce to the
bone."

iif ^ ^ J^ -^ S f& ■• Ho t'in wan m^i lok
ii shai. Good sky find together descend rain use.

" Make hay while the sun shines."

" Lay by for a rainy day."
^ ^ jja^ K: Mat kik pit fan. Things ex-
treme certainly turn.

" When things are at their worst there is sure
to be a change."

151
XXIV.

WORSHIP.

^ ^ M ^ ^ : King lit ch'ung king
yat hing. Revere moon heavy revere sxm light.
" Men greatly revere the moon : but hold the
sun in light esteem."
The sun represents the male principle, yeung,
and the moon the female principle, yam, and
hence the origin of this parabolic saying.
± ^ ^ : T o ti seung. " Earth god's box."

This idol's birthday falls on the 2nd of the
2nd moon, and paper boxes containing paper
money and clothes are burned for the idol's nse.

Hit^'- tjt-kwong i, " Moon clothes."

On the 15th of the 8th moon paper clothes
are burnt in order that the person whose face is
seen in that luminous body, the moon, may be
supplied with raiment.

7C SF -^ S jM ^ • Un p6 fiii ch'ung kwo
shan. tin p6 ashes heavier than body.

152 Cantonese Apothegms.

" Un Po (indented worship paper) ash be-
comes heavier than the body."

If a child is ill for a long time then the
ash of the paper burned before the idol shrine
■with a view to the child's recovery, accumulates
until its weight exceeds that of the child's body,,
J^ ^P : Fong ch au. Loose paper-money.

"Burn (lit. let go) paper money."
This is the term applied to the custom of burn-
ing paper cash and incense at dark.

S^ ^ ^ ■ I'ak kai chi. Hundred remove paper.
" The paper that removes a hundred ills."
The panacea thus designated is only offered
when the spirits of the Earth and G-rain are wor-
shipped.

^W^^^- Tap p'dng pdi chi-chii. Erect
scaffold? worship spiders.

" Scaffold builders worship spiders."
The Chinese Pantheon of deities contains every
kind of creature that is supposed *to have power
to impart to the worshipper of its instinct, in-
herent qualities, and peculiar ability.

WOKSHIP. 153

^ /\ ilB. ^ ; P^i yau tso-tsung. " Worship
(other) men's ancestors."

What a travesty of what is supposed to be one
of the most sacred religions acts performed by the
Chinese ! Thousands of dollars are sometimes paid
to a graduate to come and worship at the ancestral
shrine of a village, for by this act he acknow-
ledges the villagers' ancestors to be his own, and
thus binds himself to assist his adopted clan in
some litigation case, which those, who have hired
him to play the hypocrite, foresee is likely to in-
volve them in trouble.
^ ^ § • Cheung-shau heung.
" Longevity incense."

Burned to the idols by those who specially
desire long life.

^ ^ 5ti ^ ; Mi pai sin shik. N(jt worship
first eat. •'

" Eat of the offering before presenting it to
the idols." . ^ -

To do so betrays a want of reverence.
'i^^ IS' Hf ^ • Shiii chii tse ch'e. Roast pig
thank fii'e-engine. ' ' -

" The fire-engine is thanked Liy an offering of
roast, pork." ''

1.t4 Cantonicbe ApOTHKGArS.

There are four or five pumping-stations along
the river front at Canton.
1. yffi ;f$ ll.l§,: Shhaug yau shan wok fuk.

"If one presents oil (to the te«iple-keeper)
the idol obtains happiness."
^ ^ : Ling ts'im. Intelligent sticks.

" Intelligent divining sticks."

These are short bamboo slips on which are
written prescriptions, or auguries. After burn-
ing incense the slips are shaken before the idol
and one is picked out by the worshipper.
^ ^ g| tS J® : ^>™ king nang chid fuk.
Repeat prayers able brings happiness.
" To repeat Buddhist prayers brings happiness."

^ f I ^ Hb A i ^IJJ ® : Shik ap pat nang
yap chii shiii miii. Eat duck not can enter Chii
Shui temple.

" You cannot enter Chii Shui temple after
having partaken of duck."

The reason for this prohibition is that General
Hong, who was subsequent!}- deified, was once
saved by ducks destroying the foot-prints of his
retreating soldiers.

^'^M- Sho chong p'lin. Comb paint tray.

" Toilet tnn'."

Worship. loo

It is made of paper and burned for the use oi
the seven fairies on the 6th day of the 7th moon.
The fairies are the spirits of the Pleiades.

L !?<ft -^L b6 ^ R ^ • Chi-chirit nang pin chan
mat. Paper-images able change true things.

" Productions in paper (for the use of the de-
parted) can change into real articles."

The Chinese think the shades of the de-
parted need money, sedan-chairs, opium pipes,
servants, &c. as they did in this world, when
they were in the flesh. Thousands of dollars
are spent annually on paper images which are
burnt in worship, in the belief that the articles
are received by those for whom they are intend-
ed, and that not in the form of a flimsy iabrication
but the genuine article required.

Printed by E-SHIKG adjoining Canal Road, Canton.

pp n ^ t^ r; ® w M ^ m #